Banded rock lizards' faded colors offer great camouflage against the boulders and rock walls they occupy. They are exceptional rock climbers, running with equal ease horizontally, vertically, rightside-up, or upside-down.

The range of these flat lizards is mostly in Baja California, but extends northward into certain areas of Anza-Borrego and a little bit north of that. So you have to go pretty far south in California to see one in the United States, and I was happy to see the species again seven years since I was last in this area.

Banded Rock Lizards are always a delight to run across. Partly this is because they are found in such a small part of the U.S., partly this is because they are so intricately patterned, and partly this is because they tend not to run very far when they get spooked, so if you have a little patience you can usually get a decent photograph.

The first one pictured above is a youngster on a boulder right alongside the trail at Borrego Palm Canyon. The other three photos are of the same adult that I spent twenty minutes or so with on a fantastic rockpile that caught my eye as I drove down highway S2 looking for likely Baja California Collared Lizard spots.