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Northern Alligator Lizard
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Anguidae (alligator and legless
lizards)
- Genus: Elgaria (western alligator
lizards)
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Scientific Name: Elgaria coerulea
principis Baird & Girard, 1852 |
| Habitat: Under shelter
(rotting logs, loose bark on stumps, rocks, discarded lumber) near
woodlands. |
Elgaria=perhaps an adaptation of
"alligator," coerulea="dark-colored," principis="first"
or "leader"
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| Length: Up to 13 inches. |
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| Food: Insects,
arachnids, snails, millipedes. |
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We found this lizard on a discarded wooden pallet
we were removing. The weather was sunny but only around 55
to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The lizard was cold to the touch
and noticeably sluggish. I'd heard stories about alligator
lizards being aggressive, but this one was too cold to try
anything. After taking video I released it near a rotting
stump with loose bark about 100 feet from where we found it.
Compare to the alligator lizard I found in California. |
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