Field Herper.com

Field notes and photography by Bryan D. Hughes
Oct
20th
2009

Eastern Collared Lizard, My First

For as much time as I spend out looking for reptiles, it’s always surprised me that I’ve never seen an Eastern Collared LizardCrotaphytus collaris. They’re big, brightly-colored, and fairly common in many of the areas I spend time. I was finally able to photography my first recently. Another one on the life list.

Something very interesting I learned after showing off the find to some other field herpers with more experience with this species, is that they have a rather inefficient way of keeping alive as young lizards.

Eastern Collared Lizards are cannibals. Adult males will eat young lizards on sight, but spare gravid (pregnant) females. Obviously eating females loaded with eggs would not work out too well for the species, so females give warning of their status by displaying bright orange lizards. Young males, in turn, display orange coloration in order to mimic females of the same species, to avoid predation by … the same species. To me, this is right up there with the flounder in adaptations that show just how unintelligent natural design is.

Eastern Collared Lizard
Eastern Collared Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris
Crotaphytus collaris