Northern Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis)

I came upon this desert iguana back in October of 2012 while hiking the Riverwalk Exploration Trail inside the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park in Laughlin, Nevada. This trail parallels the Colorado River for more than two miles. When I first approached him, he was sunning himself on the cement walkway at the beginning of the trail. Eventually, I got him to move off the walkway and onto the desert sand for a more natural background.

Description: The Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is one of the most common lizards of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is a blunt, medium to large lizard which can grow up to 16 inches in length, including the tail. They are pale tan to cream in color with a light reddish-brown reticulated pattern on their backs and sides. The result is that this lizard blends in quite well with its native sandy, rocky areas. It has a small head with a blunt nose. Its scales are small and granular except for a row of enlarged keeled scales on its back. This row of slightly-enlarged, keeled dorsal scales run down the center of the back, becoming slightly larger as they extend to near the end of the tail. The reticulated pattern gives way to brown spots near the back legs, turning into stripes along the tail. The tail is usually around 1½ times longer than the body from snout to vent. The belly is pale. During the breeding season, the sides become pinkish in both sexes. These lizards can withstand very high temperatures, higher than any other North American reptile, and are out and about long after other lizards have retreated into their burrows. They burrow extensively, and will often climb into shrubs for shelter and defense. Their burrows are usually constructed in the mounds of sand that accumulate around the bases of bushes like the creosote. They also often use ready-made burrows of kit foxes and desert tortoises. Active in the daytime, they can often be seen on rocks basking in the hot sun. They eat mostly plant material - leaves, flower buds, and flowers. The creosote bush is a staple food. They also eat insects, carrion, and fecal pellets. Their habitat is most common in sandy areas around creosote bush flats, scrub, dunes, washes, streambeds, and floodplains. They hibernate in burrows during the winter. They can be found on the desert sides of Southern California mountains, and the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains in the Owens Valley, to the Arizona, Nevada, and Baja California Borders.