Crotaphytus dickersonae
—
Dickerson’s Collared Lizard
Also known as:
Tiburon Collared Lizard, Mexican Blue Collared Lizard, Mexican Collared Lizard
The animal I most wanted to see around Bahía de Kino was a male Dickerson's Collared Lizard. They are generally bluish, and during breeding season especially some are a ridiculously bright blue. We looked in appropriate habitat in the late afternoon on the day we arrived, but had no luck. A different carful of people in our group did find and photograph a male. So the next morning we returned to the site of that sighting and tried again. We had no luck finding a blue male, but Gerrit Jan Verspui found this beautiful adult female. She was hunkered down in a crack in the rocky hillside, pondering whether it was safe and warm enough to come out to bask. We gave her a little space and sat patiently until she decided to come out after all.
Online references:
- Crotaphytus dickersonae account on The Reptile Database
Printed references:
- Rorabaugh, J.C., Lemos-Espinal, J.A. 2016. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico