Hobbies And Interests
Large-spotted Leopard Lizard
This robust reptile may approach 6 inches in length and is covered in a pattern of dark blotches and pale barring that suggests the big cat that is its namesake. Possessing a big, heavy head and wide jaws, leopard lizards are formidable predators of small creatures: They'll feast on everything from spiders and crickets to desert pocket mice and smaller lizards. But they'll also munch on flower blossoms and other vegetable matter. When dashing across its parched habitat, leopard lizards sometimes adopt a crude, high-speed form of bipedal locomotion.
Horned Lizards
Two species of horned lizard, colloquially called "horny toads" because of their squat appearance, regularly inhabit the Salton Sea vicinity: the flat-tailed horned lizard and the desert horned lizard. Both are roughly the same size, usually between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches or so in length. The flat-tailed variety is more fleet and has longer, more prominent horns along the base of its head; the horns of the desert horned lizard are somewhat stubbier. The flat-tailed horned lizard also possesses a dark, narrow stripe along its back, something the desert horned lizard and all other members of the genus lack. These rotund, dragon-like reptiles usually target insects like ants.
Desert Spiny Lizard
This impressive-looking lizard is coated in sharp-pointed dorsal scales from head to tail. Sometimes better than 5 inches long, they are also distinguished by a black collar visible along the sides of their throat. Omnivorous in diet, they readily take shelter in trees and shrubs as well as under stones and in the nests and burrows of rodents.
Western Whiptail Lizard
This sleek, slender, fast-moving species is defined by a tawny or gray body heavily mottled with black spots, blotches and barring, sometimes in addition to longitudinal stripes. Some 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches in length, western whiptails have, as their name suggests, long and sturdy tails as well as muscular hind legs that enhance their running abilities. Across their broad geographic range, whether in desert flats like the Salton Sea vicinity or mountain slopes, they tend to favor open habitats. Their scuttling in dry underbrush is a noisy clue to their presence.
Long-tailed Brush Lizard
This small species, often under 2 inches long, has a slender body and notably lengthy tails. It is often dusty-hued with faint mottling and lateral stripes. These hunters of spiders, insects and other small creatures often climb into shrubs like creosote bushes to forage or escape predators like kestrels, leopard lizards or king snakes.