The Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard
By Hayden M.
The Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard is one of the most interesting endangered reptile in the United States. Its competitive behavior, unusual diet and limited range make it an interesting reptile to study.
It is interesting to note that the Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard is considered a very large lizard. The males weigh between 1.3-1.5 ounces and is 3-5 inches long. The females are the same length but their weight is 0.8-1.2 ounces, which is slightly less than the males. A cool fact is that its tail is longer then its body and its tail can regenerate. This small reptile has a broad, triangular shaped head with a trunk like snout and a rounded gray or brown colored body.
The Blunt nosed leopard lizards are prey for snakes, birds and Carnivorous mammals. They are diurnal, and they bathe in the baking sun in the morning. It prefers to eat insects, arthropods and other lizards. These large lizards breed from May – June. Once they find a mate the female lays 2-5 eggs in June or July. The eggs will usually hatch in July or August.
The lizards’ habitat is native to California, and inhabits the San Joaquin Valley. This combative lizard loves long, flat vegetated areas to run on. For its own shelter it uses abandon dens of other mammals.
Sadly the Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard is endangered. Endangered means that a lot of animals are dieing and they might become extinct. There are many cruel things man is doing to bring it closer to extinction. For example, they are building cities and farms where these animals live. Also off road vehicles that travel in their environment accidentally crush them to death.
The United States Fish and Wild Life Services put it on the endangered list in 1971.Many laws have been made to help save this reptile. Man should stop destroying their habitat and limit off road vehicle use.
So you can see this extraordinary creature needs to be protected from man’s damage to their homes and their species. Man caused the Blunt nosed Leopard lizard to become endangered, so now it is man’s responsibility to get them off the endangered list.