ELGARIA (2)
HumboldtHerps.com
ELGARIA (2)
Our Southern Alligators
The California Alligator Lizard (E. m. multicarinatus) begins its southern range
in Los Angeles where it intergrades with the San Diego ssp. E. m. webbi.
While it can also be found on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz islands,
its mainland territory is far-reaching stretching north along the coastal
mountains as far as Northwestern California; it also ranges north along the
western Sierras (avoiding a good portion of the dryer central valley north of the
Grapevine) [the Petersen Guide reveals this Sierra portion to be the range of
The San Diego subspecies] , fans out into the valleys between Sacramento and
the Bay Area (meeting its western populations), and continues north along the
western Cascades. Mendocino, So. Humboldt, Trinity and Shasta counties
mark where the California Alligator Lizard intergrades with the Oregon Alligator
Lizard. Both the California and the Oregon share territory with their live-bearing
cousins - the Northwestern and the Shasta, however they prefer slightly warmer
conditions and avoid the foggy beaches and colder wetter inland terrains.
Elevations are lowlands up to 4,000 ft.
Eggs of the Southerns are laid in clutches of 8-14 in the summer and usually
hatch between September and October.
The Oregon Alligator Lizard (E. m. scincicauda) begins its territory where it
intersects with the California subspecies, then continues north through
Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Its easternmost boundary in No. California
is along the Klamath River in W. Siskiyou County. From here it enters
SW-Central Oregon and progresses north along Oregon's coastal mountains
moving slowly inland until it reaches the Columbia River Gorge where it takes
a sharp right and moves upriver into and east of the Cascades. Avoiding the
extremes of its eastern boundary, its range fingers south into No-Central OR
and north into So.-Central WA. Elevations are lowlands up to avg. of 3,000 ft.
We have had only a few encounters
with these two subspecies,
and most occurred faster than you
can smile and say cheese!
Alligator lizards can wriggle and
writhe through the thickest of under-
brush rather quickly. If you try to
catch one be sure you don't try to
catch it by the tail. Although tails
grow back, the vertebrate do not.
And recent evidence has shown
that in many lizard species, during
the mating season, adult males
with no tails don't seem to get the
females! Sounds strangely human!
I have personally observed a male
NW Fence Lizard undergo a status
change after losing his tail.
(see Western Fence Lizard)
Lizards usually have to recuperate
for a while after losing their tails.
Some may even sicken during the
colder season, since sustaining fats stored in the tail are lost. Reptiles
hibernating without enough fat reserves often don't survive the winter.
Mobility is also affected. Although perhaps not as efficient as that of the
chameleon, the tail is prehensile enough to assist in climbing branches and
also aids the lizard in its slinking snake-like crawl on ground. When you watch
a tail-less alligator lizard move...it just doesn't seem like an alligator lizard.
Should the individual without a tail find itself under attack again, it's chances of
escape are diminished, for the length of the tail also acts as a distraction for
predators; since the lengthy distraction is gone, the prey's torso becomes the
only target left for the predator's aim.
in Los Angeles where it intergrades with the San Diego ssp. E. m. webbi.
While it can also be found on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz islands,
its mainland territory is far-reaching stretching north along the coastal
mountains as far as Northwestern California; it also ranges north along the
western Sierras (avoiding a good portion of the dryer central valley north of the
Grapevine) [the Petersen Guide reveals this Sierra portion to be the range of
The San Diego subspecies] , fans out into the valleys between Sacramento and
the Bay Area (meeting its western populations), and continues north along the
western Cascades. Mendocino, So. Humboldt, Trinity and Shasta counties
mark where the California Alligator Lizard intergrades with the Oregon Alligator
Lizard. Both the California and the Oregon share territory with their live-bearing
cousins - the Northwestern and the Shasta, however they prefer slightly warmer
conditions and avoid the foggy beaches and colder wetter inland terrains.
Elevations are lowlands up to 4,000 ft.
Eggs of the Southerns are laid in clutches of 8-14 in the summer and usually
hatch between September and October.
The Oregon Alligator Lizard (E. m. scincicauda) begins its territory where it
intersects with the California subspecies, then continues north through
Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Its easternmost boundary in No. California
is along the Klamath River in W. Siskiyou County. From here it enters
SW-Central Oregon and progresses north along Oregon's coastal mountains
moving slowly inland until it reaches the Columbia River Gorge where it takes
a sharp right and moves upriver into and east of the Cascades. Avoiding the
extremes of its eastern boundary, its range fingers south into No-Central OR
and north into So.-Central WA. Elevations are lowlands up to avg. of 3,000 ft.
We have had only a few encounters
with these two subspecies,
and most occurred faster than you
can smile and say cheese!
Alligator lizards can wriggle and
writhe through the thickest of under-
brush rather quickly. If you try to
catch one be sure you don't try to
catch it by the tail. Although tails
grow back, the vertebrate do not.
And recent evidence has shown
that in many lizard species, during
the mating season, adult males
with no tails don't seem to get the
females! Sounds strangely human!
I have personally observed a male
NW Fence Lizard undergo a status
change after losing his tail.
(see Western Fence Lizard)
Lizards usually have to recuperate
for a while after losing their tails.
Some may even sicken during the
colder season, since sustaining fats stored in the tail are lost. Reptiles
hibernating without enough fat reserves often don't survive the winter.
Mobility is also affected. Although perhaps not as efficient as that of the
chameleon, the tail is prehensile enough to assist in climbing branches and
also aids the lizard in its slinking snake-like crawl on ground. When you watch
a tail-less alligator lizard move...it just doesn't seem like an alligator lizard.
Should the individual without a tail find itself under attack again, it's chances of
escape are diminished, for the length of the tail also acts as a distraction for
predators; since the lengthy distraction is gone, the prey's torso becomes the
only target left for the predator's aim.
| This California Alligator Lizard was found under a piece of plywood in Oroville, (Butte County), CA 06-17-2006 |
...that other Southern...
Yes... I've decided to include the one California subspecies that is NOT in our
northwestern range. Why? Because I grew up with the little snappers, and
because I visit San Diego once or twice a year, I like to "check up on them."
The San Diego Alligator Lizard (E. m. webbi) ranges from where it intergrades
with E. m. multicarinatus in the southwestern Sierras east of the San Joaquin
Valley southwest to Los Angeles and the coast, and then moves south along
the coast, coastal mountains, and western inlands to San Diego County, and
then into Baja California. Included also are the San Nicolas and Santa
Catalina Islands. Elevations are near sea level to about 5,000 ft.
When I visit "the canyon" behind my parents' house in Rancho Penasquitos
(North County of San Diego) I usually always find a few alligator lizards. The
house is in one of those ridged developments,where the outskirts of the whole
neighborhood is surrounded by downward sloping ice plant barriers that end in
a long parallel cement gutter. Beyond the gutter is red clay, buckwheat, sage,
and the last remnants of what was once chaparral. Although I have found the
lizards occasionally in this habitat as well as among the grass and mustard
weed patches panning out on the northern side, interestingly I am most
successful at the gutter line. It appears that the gardens and irrigation have
attracted these fellows closer to civilization, perhaps increasing their numbers.
Consistent moisture from sprinkler systems, blankets of ice plant that afford
decent humidity and cover, gardens attracting all sorts of insects may all make
this prime alligator lizard real estate. Unfortunately, the long terms effects of
pesticides and the possible addition of a new housing tract may make this
niche too good to be true. And let us not forget the ophidiaphobes who don't
know an alligator lizard from a snake...
The Southerns in San Diego have got fight in them. If you're looking to pick one
up, take hold of them (and all alligator lizards) behind the head. Bites hurt.
Plus you don't want to hurt them. Know that any capture of an adult probably
comes guaranteed with a poop on the wrist!
northwestern range. Why? Because I grew up with the little snappers, and
because I visit San Diego once or twice a year, I like to "check up on them."
The San Diego Alligator Lizard (E. m. webbi) ranges from where it intergrades
with E. m. multicarinatus in the southwestern Sierras east of the San Joaquin
Valley southwest to Los Angeles and the coast, and then moves south along
the coast, coastal mountains, and western inlands to San Diego County, and
then into Baja California. Included also are the San Nicolas and Santa
Catalina Islands. Elevations are near sea level to about 5,000 ft.
When I visit "the canyon" behind my parents' house in Rancho Penasquitos
(North County of San Diego) I usually always find a few alligator lizards. The
house is in one of those ridged developments,where the outskirts of the whole
neighborhood is surrounded by downward sloping ice plant barriers that end in
a long parallel cement gutter. Beyond the gutter is red clay, buckwheat, sage,
and the last remnants of what was once chaparral. Although I have found the
lizards occasionally in this habitat as well as among the grass and mustard
weed patches panning out on the northern side, interestingly I am most
successful at the gutter line. It appears that the gardens and irrigation have
attracted these fellows closer to civilization, perhaps increasing their numbers.
Consistent moisture from sprinkler systems, blankets of ice plant that afford
decent humidity and cover, gardens attracting all sorts of insects may all make
this prime alligator lizard real estate. Unfortunately, the long terms effects of
pesticides and the possible addition of a new housing tract may make this
niche too good to be true. And let us not forget the ophidiaphobes who don't
know an alligator lizard from a snake...
The Southerns in San Diego have got fight in them. If you're looking to pick one
up, take hold of them (and all alligator lizards) behind the head. Bites hurt.
Plus you don't want to hurt them. Know that any capture of an adult probably
comes guaranteed with a poop on the wrist!
San Diego Alligator Lizard
Complete
Information regarding species and subspecies' ranges and color and pattern traits was
cross-referenced using:
1. Page 542, and plate 445, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and
Amphibians, c. 1979.
2. Pages 138-140, Reptiles of the Northwest, c. 2002.
3. Pages 331-332, and 492, Western Reptiles and Amphibians. c. 2003
cross-referenced using:
1. Page 542, and plate 445, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and
Amphibians, c. 1979.
2. Pages 138-140, Reptiles of the Northwest, c. 2002.
3. Pages 331-332, and 492, Western Reptiles and Amphibians. c. 2003
Subspecies Characteristics:
Where intergradation occurs, identification can be a joyous headache.
Typically, all Southerns are heavily crossbarred.
The California ssp. traditionally has a wider field of rusty-orange or brick
red and variable tans and yellows between narrower dark crossbars, the
separations of the colors often highly defined; top of the head is darkly
mottled.
The Oregon ssp. is more often brown to olive-gray or a faded reddish
brown with narrow dark crossbars (not so colorful); there is no mottling on
the head.
The San Diego ssp. has a color field that varies with browns, olives, tans,
yellows, and/or cinnamons or brick red separated by dark crossbars that
are wider, dissipating into the color theme as they widen; like the Oregon
ssp. it has no mottling on the top of its head.
It is my understanding however, that new things are happening all the
time. Color and pattern strains, scales, and more are all subject to
change, however minute. Inbreeding as a result of becoming an isolated
group, or out-crossed breeding as a result of intergradation, as well as
the normal reproduction occurring within the general range of the species
or subspecies - all have the potential for creating new strains. A longer
tail? A darker red? An extra scale? How about a DNA analysis! There
might be a new ssp. of alligator lizard out there already!
Where intergradation occurs, identification can be a joyous headache.
Typically, all Southerns are heavily crossbarred.
The California ssp. traditionally has a wider field of rusty-orange or brick
red and variable tans and yellows between narrower dark crossbars, the
separations of the colors often highly defined; top of the head is darkly
mottled.
The Oregon ssp. is more often brown to olive-gray or a faded reddish
brown with narrow dark crossbars (not so colorful); there is no mottling on
the head.
The San Diego ssp. has a color field that varies with browns, olives, tans,
yellows, and/or cinnamons or brick red separated by dark crossbars that
are wider, dissipating into the color theme as they widen; like the Oregon
ssp. it has no mottling on the top of its head.
It is my understanding however, that new things are happening all the
time. Color and pattern strains, scales, and more are all subject to
change, however minute. Inbreeding as a result of becoming an isolated
group, or out-crossed breeding as a result of intergradation, as well as
the normal reproduction occurring within the general range of the species
or subspecies - all have the potential for creating new strains. A longer
tail? A darker red? An extra scale? How about a DNA analysis! There
might be a new ssp. of alligator lizard out there already!
| This Northwestern was fed plutonium! (...Just kidding.) |
| "The Tail" San Diego Alligator Lizard |
| California Alligator Lizard - pending |
| Oregon Alligator Lizard Kneeland, CA |
| Oregon Alligator Lizard (juv.) Kneeland, CA |
Behavioral Notes:
Most of our recent experience
with Elgaria deals with the
Northwestern and the San
Diego subspecies. Both
Northern and Southern species
are active hunters. E. m. webbi
is usually more active in the
mornings or late afternoons
during San Diego's hotter
months. During cooler weather,
most species will take
advantage of any of the sun's
warmth offered. In Rancho
Penasquitos we have found
them in February lunching
around noon. The E. c.
principis found here south of
Eureka at "Stinky Beach" usually
hibernate in or under the larger
pieces of driftwood between the
dune grasses in the area during
the winter. They emerge, even if
only for brief intervals, in the
early spring and can be found
basking on logs or searching for
food.
We haven't personally had the
time to observe any breeding
behaviors. It does makes sense
that baby Northern Alligator
Lizards are born earlier than
their Southern cousins hatch.
Young gators need to stock up
on energy stores for a cold
season that begins earlier.
Most of our recent experience
with Elgaria deals with the
Northwestern and the San
Diego subspecies. Both
Northern and Southern species
are active hunters. E. m. webbi
is usually more active in the
mornings or late afternoons
during San Diego's hotter
months. During cooler weather,
most species will take
advantage of any of the sun's
warmth offered. In Rancho
Penasquitos we have found
them in February lunching
around noon. The E. c.
principis found here south of
Eureka at "Stinky Beach" usually
hibernate in or under the larger
pieces of driftwood between the
dune grasses in the area during
the winter. They emerge, even if
only for brief intervals, in the
early spring and can be found
basking on logs or searching for
food.
We haven't personally had the
time to observe any breeding
behaviors. It does makes sense
that baby Northern Alligator
Lizards are born earlier than
their Southern cousins hatch.
Young gators need to stock up
on energy stores for a cold
season that begins earlier.
In Captivity:
Alligator lizards may fare well in
captivity providing they are given
living conditions comparable to
their native environments,
however...
In accordance with the Native
Reptile and Amphibian Captive
Propagation Laws and
Regulations of the California
Department of Fish and Game,
you are allowed only two of each
species at any one time with a
standard up to date California
fishing license.
Propagation is not permitted.
Being caught propagating
without permission will result in
fines as well as the confiscation
of the captive collection and and
its destruction. Both captively
bred and kept wild-caught
specimens should never be
returned to the wild without
special permission and
professional supervision.
Many enthusiasts may go all the
way and indeed build the ideal
habitat. This is no guarantee
that the specimen will adapt,
especially those captured as
adults (often set in their ways
with behaviors, territory, and
preferred diets). Stress is a
major factor in captive deaths.
Parasites brought in with a
captive lizard may also speed
up its demise. Mites, which are
often removed during the
slinking and burrowing through
larger territories, multiply into
dangerous densities within the
confines of an artificial
environment. Mites can infest
other captive herps you may
have in your collection.
Wild caught alligator lizards that
are returned to the wild often
don't survive simply due to the
stress endured trying to adapt in
captivity. Lowered immunities
result in sickness. Combined
with internal or external
parasites one sick specimen
released into the wild could
contaminate the local
population, especially if the
animal is released in a location
other than where it was found.
Alligator lizards may fare well in
captivity providing they are given
living conditions comparable to
their native environments,
however...
In accordance with the Native
Reptile and Amphibian Captive
Propagation Laws and
Regulations of the California
Department of Fish and Game,
you are allowed only two of each
species at any one time with a
standard up to date California
fishing license.
Propagation is not permitted.
Being caught propagating
without permission will result in
fines as well as the confiscation
of the captive collection and and
its destruction. Both captively
bred and kept wild-caught
specimens should never be
returned to the wild without
special permission and
professional supervision.
Many enthusiasts may go all the
way and indeed build the ideal
habitat. This is no guarantee
that the specimen will adapt,
especially those captured as
adults (often set in their ways
with behaviors, territory, and
preferred diets). Stress is a
major factor in captive deaths.
Parasites brought in with a
captive lizard may also speed
up its demise. Mites, which are
often removed during the
slinking and burrowing through
larger territories, multiply into
dangerous densities within the
confines of an artificial
environment. Mites can infest
other captive herps you may
have in your collection.
Wild caught alligator lizards that
are returned to the wild often
don't survive simply due to the
stress endured trying to adapt in
captivity. Lowered immunities
result in sickness. Combined
with internal or external
parasites one sick specimen
released into the wild could
contaminate the local
population, especially if the
animal is released in a location
other than where it was found.
Elgaria
| ADAPTABLE / HIGH MAINTENANCE |
