Bluntnose Leopard Lizard, San Joaquin Leopard Lizard

Sighting:

May 12, 2002

Carrizo Plain National Monument, San Luis Obispo County, California

Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards are an endangered species, primarily due to habitat destruction. They used to range far and wide across the grasslands of California's San Joaquin Valley, but nearly all of their original habitat has been converted to agriculture or rangeland and made inhospitable for these lizards.

I had searched for this species unsuccessfully at least six times, before finally coming across this beautiful specimen.

• The California Department of Fish and Game has a page on this species.
• The San Joaquin Valley Endangered Species Recovery Program site has a page on this species.

• Behler, J. L., King, F. W. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians
• Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2008. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding
• Schoenherr, A. A. 1992. A Natural History of California
• Smith, H. M. 1995. Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and Canada
• Smith, H. M., Brodie, E. D. Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification
• Stebbins, R. C. 2003. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition