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Desert Spiny Lizard
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Iguanidae (iguanid lizards)
- Subfamily: Phrynosomatinae (spiny and horned
lizards)
- Genus: Sceloporus (fence and spiny
lizards)
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Scientific Name: Sceloporus
magister bimaculosus Phelan & Brattstrom, 1955 |
| Habitat: Low deserts
with plenty of cover (bushes, rocks, etc.). |
Skelos="leg," porus="pore"
(referring to femoral pores on the legs), magister="master,"
bi="two," maculosus="spots"
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| Length: to 12 inches total. |
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| Food: Insects and
occasional vegetable matter. |
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I found many of these lizards at the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum in Tucson. They were not part of a Desert Museum
exhibit, but like many other local lizards they can be found on
the museum grounds. The specimen in the picture was in the middle
of a courtship display, which is amusing to watch. The male
lizards distend their throat, which is tinted sky blue, and
perform a series of "push-ups" to attract a mate. |
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