Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

• Not well studied
• Mating in early spring; hatching through summer/early fall
• Females lay up to 20 eggs
• Hatch after about 50-55 days

Egg

• Reports of females sharing egg-laying sites (Lemm 2006)
• Significant differences exist for number of clutches between populations of Elgaria in different areas
• Normally 5 to 20 eggs laid between May or June and July
  • About 3 clutches per season
• Eggs are placed in rock crevices, burrows of rodents (Lemm 2006)

Hatchlings

•  Hatch after 11 weeks
• Snout Vent Length 34 mm (1.3 in)
• Weigh .55 grams (.02 oz)

Young

• Juveniles marked differently than adults: a broad stripe on the back of tan, reddish, yellow, gray, or beige; side bars may be less distinct

Adults

•  Sexual maturity reached at about 18 mos, 31 grams in weight

• Not well known; perhaps 10 to 15 years (Jeff Lemm, personal communication, 2023)
  • Likely similar for wild and managed care populations

Predators

• Snakes, loggerhead shrikes, red-tailed hawks, domestic cats (Morey 2008)

Ticks are a common parasite found on southern alligator lizards.

Image credit: © Jerry Kirkhart via Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Burrage (1965)
Goldberg (1972)
Lemm (2006)