Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

A large male western Fence Lizard was brought by Jinx today. He was rescued as rapidly as possible, and after a short photo session, transported to a safe, feline-free place.

His blue-ish dorsal scales and brilliant blue belly are classic.

Lots of color on his dorsal surface.

A chunky specimen, to be sure!

Where the name "Blue Belly" comes from!

2 comments:

  1. Great photos! They are like crack for the kitties. I always thought the blue coloring on their bellies was from stress... is that not true? Most of our rescued ones have already lost their tails, I'm afraid.

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  2. Ha -- funny (about the cats)! Jinx is VERY much into lizards! I am not aware of the color changing based on mood - I think it is always fairly brilliant in mature males. This guy had also lost a tail in the past -- you can see the color change about half way down.

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