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Lizards of Zihuatanejo

SUBORDER​ SAURIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Reptiles (Class Reptilia)

-​Snakes and Lizards (Order Squamata)

-Lizards (Suborder​ Sauria)

-Whiptails and Tegus (Family Teiidae)

-Whiptails and Ameivas (Subfamily Teiinae)

-Whiptail Lizards (Genus Aspidoscelis)

-Blackbelly Racerunner (Aspidoscelis deppii


The common name of this genus is derived from the lizards’ ability to run at impressive speeds; some species can run almost 28 km (17 miles) per hour over short distances.​ They generally prefer open habitats where direct exposure to the sun is available. Racerunners are highly active lizards that search widely for prey, using their tongues to sample chemicals in the environment and a highly sensitive organ to discriminate prey based on chemical cues. Their diet consists mainly of spiders and insects.

Blackbelly Racerunner

Aspidoscelis deppii

Diet

  • Primarily insectivorous, feeding on ants, termites, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, caterpillars, spiders, and other small arthropods.

  • Occasionally consumes small fruits and other plant material.

  • An active daytime hunter that searches continuously through leaf litter, open ground, and low vegetation for prey.

Range

  • Found from southern Sonora along the Pacific slope of Mexico through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, extending into Guatemala.

  • Common throughout the Zihuatanejo region, particularly in lowland coastal habitats.

  • Occurs from sea level to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, coastal scrub, secondary forests, woodland edges, agricultural land, and open grassy areas.

  • Prefers warm, sunny habitats with sandy or loose soils, scattered rocks, fallen logs, and patches of leaf litter.

  • Frequently seen darting across trails, roads, and forest clearings during the warmest hours of the day.

Size

  • Total length: 20–33 cm (7.9–13.0 in)

  • Snout-to-vent length (SVL): 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in)

  • Weight: 12–40 g

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