Diet

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

• Larger species occasionally consume small lizards, eggs, and fallen fruit.

• Active daytime hunters that constantly search the ground and leaf litter using their keen eyesight and forked tongue to locate prey.

Range

• The genus Aspidoscelis is distributed from the southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

• Mexico is the centre of diversity for the genus, with more than 60 species, many of which are endemic.

• Several species occur along the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region of Guerrero, where they are common in tropical dry forests and open habitats.

Habitat

• Occupy a wide variety of habitats, including tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, grasslands, coastal dunes, rocky hillsides, open woodland, agricultural fields, and forest edges.

• Most species prefer sunny, open areas with loose soil, leaf litter, fallen logs, or rocks that provide shelter.

• Extremely active during the day and among the fastest-running lizards in North America.

Size

• Depending on the species:

  • Total length: 15–40 cm (6–16 in)

  • Snout-to-vent length (SVL): 5–12 cm (2–4.7 in)

  • Weight: 10–80 g