Crotaphytus insularis
Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921
Angel de la Guarda Island, Baja California Norte, Mexico. April 23, 2018.
There was a spectacular sunrise on Isla Angel de la Guarda, and we breakfasted on the fresh-caught grouper left over from supper. As the sun climbed we made our way inland from the beach, working our way across rocky bajadas in search of Crotaphytus, Uta, and whatever other creature the day might bring. One collared lizard sighted, poor photographs from a distance, and it dived into the rocks at our approach. Finally, in a slope of boulders on the far side of a pebble-coated hardpan, we found another Crotaphytus insularis that was a bit more photogenic. Instead of diving for cover under the boulders, this one jumped from rock to rock, pausing at the top of each to bob its head at us and give us the lizard stink-eye. I’ve seen this behavior in other species of Crotaphytus, and if you don’t get too close, and have a telephoto lens handy, good shots can be taken.
My Flickr album for this species is here.
HerpMapper records for this species are here.
