Prairie racerunner

Description:

This quick-moving lizard is long and slender. It has six or seven light stripes extending from the head onto the tail. The dorsal scales are granular and are non-overlapping. During the breeding season the male's belly has a bluish cast. The base of the male's tail is larger, it has a broader head, and the femoral pores on the underside of the thigh are more obvious than in the female. A newborn has a blue tail. The prairie racerunner subspecies has seven (or rarely eight) light stripes down the back. There are three on each side and one on the mid-dorsal line (which occasionally is divided). The dark dorsolateral ground color (wide, dark stripes) extends onto the tail behind the rear legs. The ground color of the front part of the body is usually bright lime green and less often brownish. (information from "A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles")

Notes:

I only seem to be able to catch up with these lizards when they're distracted by food. I kept my distance with this one so as not to spook it, but it dropped the katydid at one point and hid in a plant. I picked up the katydid and tossed it near the plant and it ran out and grabbed it! The hunt was back on! :-)