An uncommon alligator lizard

Along the side of the road that had traversed the driest-appearing of desert lands, a small sign proclaimed the presence of a spring.

A widened parking spot beckoned us to stop for a few moments and stretch our legs. We found the little spring, and, while limbering up from the long drive, checked the area over carefully for herps and birds to photograph.

We found little, but as it turned out, a most impressive find found us. We were standing next to a treefall when a fleeting movement among the broken limbs caught our eye. Whatever had made the motion had disappeared again and we had no idea of what the perpetrator was.

That we decided to stand quietly for a few more minutes proved a wise decision. After about five minutes we noted more motion, this about 3 feet away from the initial occurrence. And as we watched a shiny tan lizard head pushed above the twigs and a beady eye watched us intently.

We remained as motionless as possible and a minute or two later the lizard felt secure enough to emerge a little further. Following an elapse of another several minutes the lizard was finally lying fully in a patch of sun. And a rarely seen lizard it was. By accident we had happened into the habitat of the beautiful Panamint alligator Lizard, Elgaria panamintina, just as one lizard had become active for the day.

And to make the sighting even more memorable, the lizard appeared to be a gravid female! Now that's luck!

More photos under the jump...

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.