Gambelia wislizenii
(Baird & Girard, 1852)
Mesa Co., Colorado. May 26th, 2011.
It may look like this lizard was posed, but the photos below are in situ. Leopard lizards will perch on a rock or boulder and use the elevation to keep an eye out for smaller lizards and insects to prey upon. The Reptile Database reports that G. wislizenii was “named after Frederick Adolph Wislizenius (1810-1889), German-born physician who received his MD at Zurich (Switzerland) after he fled Germany to escape political unrest. After 1835 he lived in the US and worked there as surgeon.”
My Flickr album for this species is here.
Colorado 2011 Flickr album is here.
HerpMapper records for this species are here.
