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.

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.

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.

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.