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Project Noah Nature School
Lepidophyma flavimaculatum
Hard to tell how long it was, but about 12-13cm were sticking out of the burrow. Dark colouration, being more towards brown on the head and neck and black on the body. Pale markings around the eye and jaws, also some lighter yellowish spots behind the neck. Some rows of short spines running down the length of the back. The head was quite flat on the top, reminiscent of a snake, and covered in large broad scales.
Montane forest at around 2400m above sea level, near the Sierra Gorda in central Mexico. Its distribution ranges from Mexico, through Central America to Panama.
Apparently these lizards specialise in microhabitats, which they do not leave throughout their lives. Perhaps, as an adaptation to this, many populations are females only and reproduce parthenogenetically. However, some populations contain males and reproduction is sexual.
Spotted on May 1, 2017
Submitted on May 21, 2017
