Herpetofauna: One Life's List

Sceloporus olivaceus
Texas Spiny Lizard

Cameron Co., Texas
February 18, 1999

I have yet to see an olivaceus on the ground; of the dozen or so I have observed, all have been up in trees (one came close, basking on a fallen log).  This is typical for the species.  They get fairly large for a sceloporid, up to 10 -11 inches in total length.  I managed to photograph the top lizard before it scampered about ten feet up a mesquite tree.

The female in the lower picture was observed basking on a fallen log along the Rio Grande at the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in Hidalgo County.