Alligator Lizard Reprise

If Godzilla can have 31 movies, alligator lizards can have two posts. My previous alligator lizard post showed pictures of a Southern California Alligator Lizard. Despite its name, we found ours in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California. Only a week after finding the first lizard, I was hiking with the same group in a different location when we came upon another. This time, it was a Northern California Alligator Lizard. This post illustrates the difference between the two.

I should point out that our friendly herpetology student caught and handled both animals. Please do not handle wildlife unless you are properly trained, and have good reason to do so.

Alike but Different

One important feature that differentiates the southern alligator lizards from their northern relatives is eye color. Southern alligator lizards have yellow or very light irises surrounding their pupils. This creates the effect of having “light” eyes. Northern alligator lizards have darker pupils. Compare the darker eyes of the northern lizard with that of it southern cousin in the pictures below.

Both lizards have dark lines running lengthwise on their undersides. However, in one lizard the stripes run through the center of its scales. On the other, the stripes run between scales. The online reference I checked states the opposite of what I observed recently. So I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to verify the position of the stripes for each species.

There are color variations between the two. The southern lizard we saw looked rust/orange on its dorsal surface. The northern lizard looked black/grey. Look at the photos and let me know what you think.

Northern California Alligator Lizard

The Northern California Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is found from Monterey Bay northward, but can appear southward in the Sierra Nevada. Northern Alligator Lizards have dark eyes.