Description: A large (total length: 30 - 40 cm [12 - 16 in.]), pale, round-bodied
lizard with a long tail and a relatively small head. The overall body color is light: cream colored with a brownish net-like pattern and gray or whitish spots on the head and neck. In addition to the overall coloration, a line of slightly enlarged scales in the midline of the back runs the length of the body. This species can be recognized from other species of large lizards in southernNevada by the light coloration (other species would be dark colored or would have dark markings) and the enlarged mid-dorsal scales. Tolerant of hot weather, these lizards can remain active above ground well after other species have sought cooler temperatures underground.
Diet: Primarily eats creosote bush flowers, sand verbena flowers, other shrub
flowers, and fruit. Also eats carrion and insects.
Habitat: Mojave desert scrub, mesquite, and salt desert scrub habitats; in rocky stream beds, bajadas, sandy hummocks, and gravelly hills below 1,525 m (5,000 ft) elevation.
Range: Southwestern deserts from southern Nevada southward into western Mexico. In Clark County, Nevada, the range of this species is similar to that of its principal food and habitat.
Comment: Desert iguanas, western chuckwallas, and desert tortoises are the only herbivorous reptiles native to Nevada.