I noticed this lizard sunning itself on one of the river rocks below the courtyard out front this morning. I went and got my Canon SL1 and the 300mm lens to get this picture. The little guy obliged me and sat tight while I went in to get the camera. This is another view of the same lizard.
Despite consulting a desert wildlife book and looking on the Lizards of Arizona webpage, I am unable to identify the common or taxonomic name of this variety. We see lizards all the time, now that the weather is warmer.
Maybe readers like Crotalus or Glenn B, being desert and reptile aficionados, can shed some of their wisdom on this one. Right now, I call it “Gray Lizard with two-tone brown pattern on its back.”
UPDATE: Thanks to Glenn B, the little critter has been almost positively identified as an ornate tree lizard. See Glenn’s comment below . . .
It looks like an ornate tree lizard, probably a female. They change a lot in coloration and sometimes even in the pattern you see during breeding season which makes it hard to tell when you compare your photo to some online that may have been taken during the breeding season. Compare it to one at the lower right in this photo array: http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Lizards-Subpages/h-u-ornatus.html – Hard to tell for sure though.
Thanks Glenn – the lizard in the photo at AZ Reptiles looks quite similar. I figured that you would be able to help.
Actually, I’m going to disagree with Glenn on this one. If you look close, there is a small black blotch just behind the foreleg, and the dorsal pattern is consistent with the Side Blotched Lizard.