- SCIENTIFIC NAME
- Elgaria coerulea palmeri
- CLASSIFICATION
- Reptile
- LIFE SPAN
- 5-10 Years
- STATE CONSERVATION STATUS
-
- Priority Species
- State Protected
- FEDERAL CONSERVATION STATUS
- Least Concern
- GAME STATUS
- Non-Game
- Washoe
- Humboldt
- Pershing
- Churchill
- Mineral
- Lyon
- Douglas
- Carson City
- Storey
- Elko
- Lander
- Eureka
- White Pine
- Esmeralda
- Nye
- Lincoln
- Clark
Habitat & Range
The Sierra Alligator Lizard is generally found in cooler, damper places in a variety of forested habitats, and is found in higher altitudes than other subspecies. The Sierra Alligator Lizard is only found in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent areas in western Nevada.
- Alpine forests of the Sierras
- Grasslands
- Upland Forests
Threats
- Habitat Loss
- Overcollection
Natural History
The Sierra Alligator Lizard is a subspecies of the Northern Alligator Lizard. This subspecies is known to eat a variety of small invertebrates, including insects, spiders, millipedes, slugs, snails, and worms.
Alligator lizards are very secretive and keep hidden under rocks, logs, and sometimes burrows. The Sierra Alligator Lizard is found in higher altitudes, so they are active for a much shorter season than other subspecies.
Fun Facts
These lizards give birth to live young.
A defense mechanism for these lizards is that they can easily lose their tails and it will grow back, although not quite to the same quality as the tail they lost.
