A sagebrush lizard is a common sight in the Rocky Mountains.
The Sagebrush Lizard is one the few reptiles that lives in the Rocky Mountains. Here are 6 facts about this reptile that frequently does push ups.
One of the common animals that I’ve seen when hiking in the Rockies are lizards. Most of the time I’ve seen them they have been sitting on rocks, soaking up the warm rays of the sun. If I stop to check them out they may sit still, watching me. However, if I approach too closely they bolt and disappear into a crack or crevice in the rock. These are another one of the common Rocky Mountain animals that live in the amazing mountains.
Photo via Flickr.
6 Sagebrush Lizard Facts
These are small lizards, between 1 and a half and five inches long. The top of their body is a striped brown and grayish/white. Their belly may be a blue color (males have blue and females don’t).
Sagebrush Lizards can be found in rocky areas, juniper, pine forests, and sagebrush from southern Montana to the south. They are the only lizard found in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
These are reptiles, which means they are ectotherms. This just means that they can’t regulate their own body temperature, but get their body heat from their environment. Due to this most reptiles live in warmer areas that don’t have cold winters. However, many like this lizard, still live in the Rocky Mountains.
This video shows a lizard doing some pushups. It’s not a sagebrush lizard, but you can watch it to get the idea of what I’m talking about.
Have you ever seen a lizard sitting on a rock that looks like it is doing pushups? Well, those push ups are a way for lizards to communicate to each other. A lizard does push ups as a display to those other lizards. It is letting the others know that this is his territory and they should keep out of it.
During winter these lizards, similar to other reptiles in winter, go into a state of dormancy. Dormancy is basically a state of sleep or rest until the temperatures warm up enough for them to be active again.
These lizards catch a variety of prey on the ground or low down on trees and shrubs.
Sagebrush lizards eat a variety of food. They mainly chase after and eat beetles, ants, insects, spiders, and ticks on the ground or in small trees and shrubs.