The zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the Southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico. The Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) is a small, agile lizard native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Recognizable by its light gray to beige body with dark crossbands and a distinctive black and white striped tail, this lizard thrives in open, sandy, or rocky desert areas. Zebra-tailed Lizard - Callisaurus draconiodes Western Zebra-tailed Lizard - Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus Cope, 1896. Zebra-tailed lizards (Callisaurus draconoides) are medium-sized lizards that are widespread in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
The species name means "beautiful lizard resembling a dragon". They range from 3 to 5 inches in body length with a long tail that doubles that figure. Habitat is open, generally sandy desert, especially creosote flats, where this species reaches its highest.
Zebra-tailed lizards are the fastest lizards in the desert. They have an odd habit of curling their tail over their back, thus revealing the striping, and then waving it slowly from side to side. The most widely accepted theory is that this lulls their predators like a hypnotist's watch, which prevents them from reacting quickly when the zebra.
Western Zebra-tailed Lizard Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus Description: Gray or tan base color with light. Zebra-tailed Lizard Physical Appearance Info The Zebra-tailed Lizard, scientifically known as Callisaurus draconoides, is a fascinating reptile found primarily in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This small lizard has a unique and distinctive physical appearance that sets it apart from other species.
Zebra-tailed lizards (Callisaurus draconoides) are flashy sprinters with dazzling stripes and fearless attitudes to match. Commonly found in scrub communities in Arizona's portions of the Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts, these medium-sized lizards can also be spotted in foothills and bajadas, where they inhabit sandy washes. They feast on a variety of insects, including grasshoppers.
Zebra-tailed Lizards are widely distributed in the Sonoran, Mojave, and Great Basin Deserts from Cape San Lucas of Baja California Sur, north through Baja California and southern California to northern Nevada, south through southeastern Utah, Arizona, and Sonora to Sinaloa, and east to extreme southwestern New Mexico.