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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)

-Phrynosomatid Lizards (Family Phrynosomatidae)

-Sceloporine Lizards (Subfamily Sceloporinae)

-Spiny Lizards (Genus Sceloporus)

-Long-tailed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus siniferus)


Sceloporus siniferus, the longtail spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Longtail spiny lizard thrives on a diet consisting chiefly of arthropods, with a preference for insects like ants, beetles, and spiders. Its consumption of plant matter is rare, signifying a primarily carnivorous diet.

Long-tailed Spiny Lizard

Sceloporus siniferus

Diet

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

  • Occasionally consumes small fruits and flower parts.

  • Hunts during the day by watching from rocks, logs, or tree trunks before making short, rapid dashes to capture prey.

Range

  • Endemic to southwestern Mexico, occurring along the Pacific slope from Michoacán through Guerrero and into western Oaxaca.

  • Common in suitable habitats throughout the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Occurs from sea level to about 1,800 m (5,900 ft).

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, rocky hillsides, woodland edges, secondary forests, and coastal scrub.

  • Frequently found basking on rocks, tree trunks, fence posts, stone walls, and fallen logs in sunny areas.

  • Retreats quickly into rock crevices, beneath bark, or into dense vegetation when disturbed.

Size

  • Total length: 16–23 cm (6.3–9.1 in)

  • Snout-to-vent length (SVL): 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in)

  • Weight: 15–35 g

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