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Project Noah Nature School
Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi
"Slim-bodied with a long slender tail, a thin snout, and large symmetrical head plates. The back is unspotted and black, dark brown, or grayish with 6 or fewer pale yellow or whitish stripes. The throat and often the chest are orange, turning brighter orange during breeding season. The belly is pale blue-gray or whitish with large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows. Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled. The tail is blue in juveniles, fading to gray in adults. It can reach up to two times the length of the body. " - CaliforniaHerps
Chaparral. "Ranges from the Santa Ana River in Orange County, and near Colton in San Bernardino County, west of the Peninsular ranges, south throughout the Baja Peninsula. From sea level to aproximately 2,000 ft. (610 m). " - CaliforniaHerps
Spotted on Jun 5, 2012
Submitted on Jun 6, 2012
2 Comments
It's difficult to see the bright orange of the throat in these shots but that's what caught my eye when walking by. I'd only seen juveniles with a pretty blue tail but no orange throat. This is my first adult.
wow!!