Uta stansburiana <!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2327677141881672"; /* Short title Links */ google_ad_slot = "3055805829"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 15; //-->

This is a specific care sheet for Side blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana), for more in this genus see Category:Uta.

Side blotched lizard care sheet Uta stansburiana An adult Side blotched lizard Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Diapsida Order: Squamata Suborder: Iguania Family: Phrynosomatidae Subfamily: Phrynosomatinae Genus: Uta Species: U. stansburiana

Pet Reptile (Uta stansburiana) Care Information
Regions Found:	United States, northern Mexico and Pacific Islands
Natural habitat:
Longevity:	12-18 months
Years to Maturity:
Adult Size:	3.8-6.3 cm (1.5 - 2.5 inches) from snout to vent
Temperament:
Housing, Feeding and Climate of Uta stansburiana
Housing Size:
Reptile Foods:	What reptile foods are suggested? Should the reptiles food be live reptile food?
Temperature:
Humidity:
Reptile Lighting:	Are there any special reptile lighting requirements?
Special Requirements:
Breeding Uta stansburiana
Breeding Difficulty:
Uta stansburiana Clutch Size:	What is the average clutch size for this animal?
Gestation Period:
Incubation Temperature:	What temperature do the reptile eggs require?
Incubation Humidity:
Incubation Period:
Health
What are the reptile health concerns? Is pet insurance recommended? Is reptile health a common problem?
Recommended Pet Supplies for Uta stansburiana
Reptile cage (suitable vivarium or aquarium) Reptile heat lamp, UTH, UVB lamp or recommended heating/lighting source Reptile thermometer and thermostat to regulate temperature Water source Reptile accessories and cage decorations Reptile cleaning equipment Reptile food nb. All of these can be purchased from an online pet store

Introduction

U. stansburiana is also known as the Common side blotched lizard or simply the side blotched lizard and is the most abundant and commonly-seen lizard in the deserts and semi-arid areas of the mainland United States. They are alos found in many Pacific Islands and northern Mexican states.

This lizard is diurnal, usually the first lizard species out in the morning due to its small size which allows it to warm up quickly. It is active mostly on the ground, but a good climber. Often seen basking on rocks, hopping from boulder to boulder, or running quickly along the ground.

Active all year in the southern deserts and semi-arid regions whenever the temperature is warm. Inactive during cold weather. Males use a push-up display to display their territory. Often this lizard can be approached closely, but when frightened it runs quickly into a burrow, under a surface object, or under vegetation. The tail is often broken off when a lizard is captured, but it will grow back with time. This lizard is short-lived, living only about one year.

Males have blue, orange, and yellow color morphs. The orange males are aggressive and territorial and mate with many different females. Yellow males do not defend territories, they sneak past territorial males to mate. Blue males guard their mates, chasing off the yellow males, but they are run off when confronted by orange males. Blue males also cooperate with neighboring blue males to protect their respective mates from the orange and yellow males, and their breeding is much more successful when they do so.

Description

A small brownish grey lizard with small smooth granular scales on the back, larger scales on the head and limbs, a gular fold, a long thin tail and a dark blue-black mark on the sides of the chest behind the front limbs. This mark may be faint or abscent.

Colour is brown, gray, yellowish, or black, with dark blotches, spots, and sometimes stripes. Often there is a double row of dark spots or wedges on the back, edged with white on the rear. The underside is whitish to gray and mostly unmarked. The throat is mottled with dark and light.

Males are more colorful than females, having blue speckles on the upper surfaces, which are most visible during the light phase. Northern lizards sometimes develop orange on the throat and belly. Males also have a swollen tail base and enlarged postanals, but no distinct blue colouring on the belly (which can be found on male lizards of many other species.) The throat is marked with blue, orange, or yellow.

Females are blotched on top with brown and white, often with stripes, and have a less well-defined blotch on the sides. They have no blue speckling, and no color on the throat.

Feeding

Eats small invertebrates such as beetles, [grasshoppers]], ants, spiders, scorpions and ticks.

Breeding

Mates mostly in the spring. 1 - 7 clutches of 1 - 8 eggs are laid from March to August. Females store [[sperm] to fertilize eggs at a later time. Juveniles hatch from June to September, and breed the following spring.