Blue Spiny Lizard

About the Blue Spiny Lizard

The Blue Spiny Lizard is the giant of the fence-lizard clan in Texas - a heavy-bodied, keel-scaled reptile that can top a foot long with tail, found only in the southern part of the state and down into Mexico. A big adult male in sunshine is a genuine showstopper, washed in metallic blue-green with a bold black collar across the shoulders.<br><br>These lizards are rock specialists. Canyon walls, boulder piles, highway cuts, culverts, and old stone buildings all suit them, and they are quick to wedge into a crevice when approached - usually keeping one wary eye on the intruder from the gap.<br><br>Like other spiny lizards they are sit-and-wait hunters, dashing from a basking spot to grab beetles, grasshoppers, and other invertebrates. Males defend their rock territories with vigorous head-bobbing and push-up displays, flashing the blue throat and belly patches that give the species its name.<br><br>Unusually for lizards, Blue Spiny Lizards give birth to live young rather than laying eggs - an adaptation shared by several members of the genus. In the Rio Grande country they are active most of the year, retreating only during the coldest spells.