tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
So I get a phonecall today, from an hysterical lady…”There is a lizard in my store! Can you PLEASE come get it out for me?!” I asked her what kind of lizard, and of course she had no idea. So I grabbed a fine-mesh net, and headed over…
There were several customers, mostly curious and a little freaked that a “wild animal” was in the shop. Mind you…we live in the High Desert. Lizards and snakes are literally all around us, and calls for snake removals from a house are fairly common. Needless to say, I wasn’t shocked that a lizard was in the store.
But I was shocked to see this guy…
This is a Panamint Alligator Lizard, also known as Elgaria panamintina. They are an increasingly rare lizard that only occurs in a small area of eastern California, in Inyo and Mono counties. This is only the second one I have ever seen, and the first…I’m still not positive it was a Panamint. This one…I’m almost positive…
Now…I’m not a biologist, or a herpetologst, or any kind of ologist to be perfectly honest. I can’t be 100% certain that this is a Panamint Alligator lizard. It could also be a Sierra Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea palmeri), but those don’t typically have distinct banding. This guy also has a distinct, white, rear border against the black bands, which is characteristic of the Panamint.
Regardless, he is a really cool lizard, and I’m stoked to have rescued him!
**Photos taken during his release back into the wild**
There were several customers, mostly curious and a little freaked that a “wild animal” was in the shop. Mind you…we live in the High Desert. Lizards and snakes are literally all around us, and calls for snake removals from a house are fairly common. Needless to say, I wasn’t shocked that a lizard was in the store.
But I was shocked to see this guy…
This is a Panamint Alligator Lizard, also known as Elgaria panamintina. They are an increasingly rare lizard that only occurs in a small area of eastern California, in Inyo and Mono counties. This is only the second one I have ever seen, and the first…I’m still not positive it was a Panamint. This one…I’m almost positive…
Now…I’m not a biologist, or a herpetologst, or any kind of ologist to be perfectly honest. I can’t be 100% certain that this is a Panamint Alligator lizard. It could also be a Sierra Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea palmeri), but those don’t typically have distinct banding. This guy also has a distinct, white, rear border against the black bands, which is characteristic of the Panamint.
Regardless, he is a really cool lizard, and I’m stoked to have rescued him!
**Photos taken during his release back into the wild**
