Herps found in
the Saint George, UT area
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This hatchling desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
was cruising a wash.
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A larger tortoise sheltering in a rock cave for
the night.
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This fledgling bird was hanging out in a hole in
the sandstone.
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Chris spotted this nice longnose snake (Rhinocheilus
lecontei) as it emerged for the night
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Better posed shot of the longnose.
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| As we were hiking back to the car in the fading
light, I was last in line and heard a noise off trail |
Upon closer inspection, I was very excited to see
this huge gila monster lumbering along. |
The pattern of this Heloderma suspectum
was incredible! |
The bead-like scales help them endure in this
harsh climate
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It was nice to see a wild UT gila! The last one I
had seen was 15 years ago. |
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Long-nosed leopard lizards (Gambelia
wislizenii) were a common find on this trip.
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We found several ground snakes (Sonora
semiannulata). We were very careful to replace any
rocks we looked under.
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These small colubrids are very beautiful and are
always a fun sight.
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We headed to higher elevation to beat the heat
and saw a few lizards such as this common sagebrush
lizard (Sceloporus graciosus)
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This huge male leopard was out basking. He was
very bold and let me approach pretty close.
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We explored a new area and found evidence of a
healthy population of gila monsters. We tracked a couple
individuals by their distinctive tracks.
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This leopard lizard was found basking on this
cactus. It considered chasing down a lizard that ran
below it, but was a little slow off the cactus.
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As an introduced species, the bullfrog (Lithobates
catesbeianus) does not belong in this area. These
were found in a park with a pond and were fairly common
here.
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A nice male yellow-backed spiny lizard (Sceloporus uniformis)
showing off at the entrance to the park.
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A juvenile yellow-backed spiny lizard within the
park.
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Another introduced species, the red-eared or
common slider (Trachemys scripta) was also
established in the park within the city of St. George.
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The ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
is quite a beautiful species. I really like their
pattern as well.
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Nice side-blotched lizard,
Uta stansburiana
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A nice uniformis showing off the color under his
chin in Snow canyon.
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Snow canyon, like most other areas within this
area, has a healthy population of side-blotched lizards.
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This area is so beautiful!
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This male banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus)
was found among the limestone outcrops on the beaver dam
slope.
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A desert tarantula was hiked at night.
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On the last day, we spent a couple hours in a
cool spot within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, which
supported a healthy population of tortoises.
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It was good to see smaller individuals. Ravens
and crows have been a big problem with this species,
predating on hatchling tortoises.
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We were able to observe this nice male chuckwalla
(Sauromalus ater). He was king of his domain.
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I remembered them from my childhood as S.
obesus, which is a fitting name for this chunky
lizard.
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Such a great face! These are the largest
non-venomous lizards in the state.
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Another juvenile tortoise was observed on the
hike out.
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This big male was one of the biggest wild
tortoises I have seen. So great to see these chelonians!
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