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.