Side-blotched Lizard

Uta stansburiana

California, USA - May 2006

This small lizard is one of the most common lizards in arid areas of the western United States. They are frequently preyed upon by bigger lizards, birds and mammals and as a consequence less than 10% of the adult population will survive more than one year. To compensate for this high death rate, they have an extremely high reproductive rate and can lay up to 7 clutches of eggs per year, each containing 1-8eggs.