One of the 15 lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Crotaphytidae
Collared Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The common collared lizard is a robust, colourful lizard of the arid rocky country of North America, with two black collars on the nape and the male a brilliant green and yellow. It is an active predator that hunts other lizards, and is famous for running on its hind legs with its body upright when chasing prey or fleeing.
Weight
3 kg – 9 kg
Size
20 cm – 38 cm
Lifespan
8 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralIt runs upright on its hind legs, like a dinosaur in miniature.
- It runs on two legs: when chasing prey or fleeing it lifts its trunk and runs upright on its hind legs with its tail as a counterweight, reaching notable speeds over rock.
- That gait has been studied in biomechanics as a model for the first bipedal dinosaurs, and high-speed footage of it appears in textbooks of vertebrate locomotion.
- It preys on other lizards, including juveniles of its own species, which is uncommon among lizards of its size.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Rocky slopes, canyons and arid stony plains of the central and south-western United States
- Size at birth
- About 7 cm on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 70 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 6 eggs
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From April to July, in the warm hours, on rocky ground and screes of the central and southern United States; in the breeding season the males take on intense colours.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Collared Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Least ConcernPuma
Puma concolor
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Texas Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma cornutum
California Kingsnake
Lampropeltis californiae
Common Chuckwalla
Sauromalus ater
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about collared lizard.
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