The Black Range

Lizard, Long-nosed Leopard  - Gambelia wislizenii
Cooke's Spring, Luna County, NM - May 3, 2018

Including its tail, which can be as long as the rest of its body, the Long-nosed Leopard Lizard is about 10 inches long.  That makes it one of the larger lizards in our area, an advantage for it since it eats (among other things) other lizards.  This species was previously known as Crotaphytus wislizenii (Baird & Girard, 1852), Crotaphytus gambelii, Crotaphytus fasciatus, Leiosaurus halloweii, and Crotaphytus fasciolatus.  The type specimen was from around Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Its range extends from inland Oregon and Idaho in the north south to Zacatecas.  It often jumps to catch its prey, sometimes as much as two feet.