Zebra-tailed Lizard

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If you are walking in the desert and spot a small lizard with a curled tail running past you, chances are it is a Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides).

Zebra-tails get their name from the black and white stipes on the tail. It serves as a built-in self-defense mechanism. Predators that key in on the visibly curved tail do not fatally harm the lizard.

While they are fast, they are also curious. One might run past you on a trail and pause, as if awaiting for you to approach again. By walking slow and steady, you can often approach them at close range for a picture.

A close-up picture shows the tail to be both flat and striped.

Zebra-tailed lizards are active during the day and feed primarily on insects.

© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels