Description: Tree lizards are small lizards, ranging from 3.8 to 5.9 cm. They have a slim body and tail patterned with blotches and/or irregular crossbars with a variety of colorations ranging from black, dark brown, tan, and gray to match the local habitat. Down the middle of the back there are two bands of larger scales running the length of the body. The base of their tails is usually a rusty color. Adult males have brightly colored patches on the ventral surface. The sides of the belly are blue to blue-green and have a metallic sheen. An additional colored patch found on the throats of males, known as a dewlap, can be green, blue-green, orange, or yellow, whereas females have a white underbelly and throat color in white, orange, or yellow.
Habitat: Tree lizards are found at altitudes up to 2770 meters above sea level. They are common in riparian forested areas (mesquite, oaks, and cottonwoods), rocky terrain, sides of buildings and fence posts near streams, rivers and other bodies of freshwater. They are also found in desert habitats with or without trees. In treeless environments, these lizards take shelter in shrubs.
Range: Tree lizards are found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including southeastern California, southern Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, southwest/central Texas, and Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and North Coahuila. Tree lizards are predominantly found no higher than 2770 meters above sea level.
Diet: The ornate tree lizard feeds on mostly insects and their larvae, but have also been known to eat plants and vegetables as well as inanimate objects thinking they were food. These lizards also have diet patterns that change throughout the seasons changing what they eat and the quantity of it. In the winter/spring time their main food sources and largest quantity of food eaten were from the insect families Homoptera, Formicidae, Hemiptera, and Lepidopterous larvae but in the summer their diet changed to their main food sources mostly consisting of the insect families Coleoptera and Formicidae. For the ornate tree lizard, their food intake is variable. Multiple studies have provided evidence that the diet of the Urosaurus ornatus is seasonally variable—the diet changes according to changes in the seasons. Because they are abundant in areas where there are more trees, they depend on the food available in that niche. When the seasons undergo change or the prey migrate, it induces changes in the abundance of the lizards food and its availability.
Reproduction: The reproductive season for tree lizards lasts from March to August. Both males and females reach sexual maturity at about 45mm SVL (Snout-Vent Length) or by May to June of the year following hatching. During a single mating season tree lizards can produce 1 to 6 clutches (3 on average), producing 2 to 13 (7.1 on average) eggs per clutch. One study observed hatchlings 50 days after the first clutch was laid. The time in oviposition and the clutch size can vary greatly across range. Younger females produce fewer eggs per clutch than older ones.
Females are normally sedentary during the breeding season, which may decrease predation and conserve energy. This may be an adaptive strategy to ensure the survival of offspring. A week prior to ovoposition, females show increased activity, possibly to find a suitable clutch site. Males remain active throughout the breeding season.
The ideal location in which to lay a clutch is under rocks, in the dirt, or underground. The female digs the area intensively two days prior to egg laying, taking time to rest and bask in the heat. The chamber is dug 9 to 11 cm deep. Once eggs are laid, she covers them up with sand or dirt, completely filling the chamber. There has been no known female-to-female aggression displayed during this time; in fact, they have been observed basking together.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats are known.
Subspecies: Ten, with 6 in our region:
No Common Name - (Urosaurus ornatus caeruleus)
Chiricahua Mountain Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus chiricahuae)
No Common Name - (Urosaurus ornatus lateralis) Smooth Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus levis)
Lined Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus linearis) Texas Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus ornatus) Big Bend Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus schmidti) Schott’s Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus schottii) Colorado River Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus symmetricus) Northern Tree Lizard - (Urosaurus ornatus wrighti)
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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