Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Anguidae

Genus: Elgaria

Species: Elgaria multicarinata - Southern Alligator LIzard

Subspecies: E. m. webbi (San Diego Alligator Lizard)
Subspecies: E. m. multicarinata (California Alligator Lizard)
Subspecies: E. m. scincicauda (Oregon Alligator Lizard)
Subspecies: E. m. nana (Los Coronados Alligator Lizard)
Subspecies: E. m. ignava (San Martin Alligator Lizard)

Coloration
Brown, gray, reddish or yellowish with dark vertical crossbars spotted with white on top side.

Adult Length
Snout-vent: 2.5-7 in (6.4-17.8 cm)

Adult Weight
More than 30 g

Range
Washington State, USA, to northern Baja California, west of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada crest

Habitat
Coastal sage, chaparral, grasslands, oak woodlands, pinon-juniper woodlands, some pine woodlands, and forests.

IUCN Status
Least Concern (2007 assessment)

CITES Appendix
Not listed (UNEP 2019)

Population in Wild
Not thoroughly investigated. Thought to exceed 100,000.

Locomotion
Snake-like movement on the ground. Spends time in trees. Good swimmer.

Activity Cycle
Active during the day, dawn, and dusk. Has ability to be active during cooler periods.

Diet
Carnivorous, generalist predators. Eat insects, snails, other reptiles.

Predators
Snakes, loggerhead shrikes, red-tailed hawks, domestic cats

Courtship
Mating in the spring, hatching through summer/early fall.

Clutch size
5-20 eggs

Incubation
Up to 55 days

Typical Life Span
Not well known; perhaps 10 to 15 years

Feature Facts

• Much still to be learned about this common species.
• Tail is slightly prehensile; hold onto branches when climbing
• Eat tadpoles
• Intimidate predators by opening mouth and showing teeth
• Losing a tail is energetically costly; may result in a missed reproductive season
• Can maintain activity with body temperature down to 11°C
• Population trend is decreasing. Contributing factors are roads crossing pathways, habitat destruction, fire and predation by introduced species such as dogs and cats