Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

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ratsnakehaven
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Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

It's starting to warm up in AZ, but so far I've only seen tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus, in our yard. Before you say, "Boring," let me point out that even such a common and mundane species can offer some interesting info on behavior, and can help us understand the changing seasons better.

A few days ago the temps started getting into the 80's in the middle part of the day in my area south of Tucson. The habitat is high desert, or Upper Colorado Desert Scrub, for the more scientific minded. We have a lot of trees on our one acre. I happened to be standing next to the kitchen sink, looking out the window into the back yard, when I noticed some movement on one of the trees. Moments before there was nothing, then there were two lizards chasing each other around the tree branches. Soon I had my binoculars out and was watching a pair of tree lizards establishing their territories. Once they each had their spots on separate branches they started sun bathing, and doing some push-ups for added exercise, and occasionally chasing a fly or some other insect. I decided to get my camera out and get some photos, so I could add a few records to the database.

One might think it's too easy to get records for the officer's contest this way, but let me say, it's not easy getting photos of tree lizards, and photos are necessary as vouchers in order to get credit in the contest for the entry. First you have to find the lizards and these guys are masters of disguise. Then you have to be able to get a pic. They don't let you get very close most of the time. A simple point and shoot camera doesn't work too well. Fortunately I have an SLR camera which I put a zoom (200mm) lens on and was ready for some action. I went out on the front porch with my binoculars and waited for the lizards to start moving around, so I could see them. They didn't move. I couldn't find any. I watched a few birds in the big mesquite tree which dominates our yard in front of the porch, but no lizards. Finally I gave up and decided to water a few plants.

At this point I sprayed a pomegranate tree with the hose and to my amazement a tree lizard ran down one of the branches. I ran and got my camera and sprayed the tree again. This time two tree lizards moved and I took some pics. Luckily, I had the zoom and could shoot multiple pics, 'cus only about one out of five turned out at all. Next I turned to the big mesquite. I had a field day there as spraying with the hose turned up at least four tree lizards. It was hard getting pics, because the tree is so big, but I managed to get a few. I had to be quick too, because the lizards were so good at hiding.

Here's a couple showing their camoflauge ability....
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Here's one showing a tree lizard drinking water from the spraying...
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...and just for fun, here's a pic where it's hard to find the lizard. Try your luck...
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So, I finally got some pics of tree lizards, but what I liked the best is what I learned about tree lizards. First I noticed they are very thirsty when they first come out. They also move up into the trees when they're active and interact with other tree lizards and the other animals in their habitat. They have amazing camoflauge which helps them evade predators, I'm sure. The temps have to be warm enough for activity. These are probably the first herps of the year to become active, at least in my area, so they are an indicator species. When disturbed, as by the water spraying on them, they head for cover in the tree. If spraying continues, they head down the tree, and hide on the ground under surface cover or in holes in the ground. When temps start to cool, or the sun goes down to where they can't sun bathe any longer, then head for cover underground.

The tree lizards were fun to watch, but they are important for other reasons too. They are very prolific on our property. There's likely 100's being produced each year on our little acre. They would thus be important in the food chain. Many other animals prey on them, such as some of the birds; but also other lizards and snakes prey on them. The trees they are associated with benefit too. Tree lizards are good hunters of small insects, some of which might be harmful to the tree they're on. Tree lizards might not be as abundant as red-backed salamanders are in some forested areas in the East, but they are important to a healthy ecosystem here in the Upper Sonoran, in my opinion.

I grabbed a few other pics while playing with the tree lizards too, which complement the sense of spring arriving. Here's one of a penstemon....
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...and one of a butterfly getting a drink....
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I don't think tree lizards are the only herps active in March. Last weekend I also turned up a Tucson banded gecko, a side-blotched lizard, and a whiptail. They were all brumating under cover objects in the Santa Cruz floodplain. I've also seen snakes this time of year in the past, such as sand snakes, black-headed snakes, and diamondbacks. This year the ground seems very dry, however, as compared to the past, so that could be the reason I'm not seeing many snakes. I'll keep trying, but hope we get more rain this month. Finding time to get away from the domestic duties and hobbies will be another challenge. It helps to be able to herp in your yard during busy times...heheh!

PS: While composing this post I was watching the morning activity out my Herp Room window. First, there's a couple hummingbird feeders on the front porch. A yellow-headed verdin and a house finch came to the feeders, along with some black-chinned and broad-billed hummingbirds. The broad-bills are migrators. Gila woodpeckers are a testy spring bird, along with bunches of morning and white-winged doves that are back. A lizard ran up the big palo verde tree in front. I scoped it out as another tree lizard. In the big mesquite a vireo was chasing insects around. Never a dull moment.

BTW, I might add that I don't record the tree lizards every time I see them in the yard. I don't want to keep recording the same lizards. If I think there may be five lizards living in a certain tree, I won't record more than five, no matter how many times or days I see them. There's no way I can i.d. the individual lizards, but can give an idea of the numbers on our property.

Terry 8-)
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Biker Dave
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by Biker Dave »

Thanks for the Great post Terry...
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

No problem, Dave. It was fun and I had some time on my hands this morning... ;)

Terry
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Lizardman1988
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by Lizardman1988 »

That's a great little report Terry! I will always be envious of your yard. I wish I was coming to Arizona again for spring break, but finances this year won't allow it. At least I should be able to get in some march herping in here in Kansas. Do you know what weekend you're planning on coming up here?
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

Lizardman1988 wrote:That's a great little report Terry! I will always be envious of your yard. I wish I was coming to Arizona again for spring break, but finances this year won't allow it. At least I should be able to get in some march herping in here in Kansas. Do you know what weekend you're planning on coming up here?

Thanks... ;)

I'm not sure which week. Probably depends when we can meet up with the CO guys, maybe around the weekend of May 7/8th.


Terry
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Fundad
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by Fundad »

Terry, I too have ALWAYS enjoyed your backyard adventures....

Thanks for them.., It's a different type of post, and boring smoring, In enjoy common herps too..

I like to play with UTA's when in the field.. If you sit still for a while they will come out and about..

And if you throw pepples their way, they will chase after them... If you throw small pieces of meal worms they will pounce on them and eat them.. Fun to watch..

Fundad
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Kent VanSooy
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by Kent VanSooy »

I enjoyed that Terry - I could easily imagine your backyard as I read the story... ;)
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

Thanks, Kent and Fundaddy.

Just a brief update. No more herps have been seen in the yard, except more tree lizards, but a friend found a gopher snake in his yard yesterday a few miles away.

Mainly I've been working with my captives the last couple days, significant because it gives the idea of the changing seasons. It has gotten up to near 80*F. on our back porch (AZ Room) last two days, a big increase over the past couple months and the snakes were eager to get their first meal.

Last summer I bred the desert king for the first time and kept four of the six babies. They went into brumation in November when it got too cold on the porch to digest and just came out today. All four ate a lg. pinky and made it through brumation without seeming to lose any weight. I thought that was an interesting note on kingsnakes.

Also, I checked the temp on our pool today and it was 65*F. Why do I care about that you ask? The reason is that the pool temp is the ave. daily temp in the yard. We've been getting temps around 85* by day and 45* by night. These are good temps for the snakes to start moving. Maybe this weekend something will show up.

Later....TC :beer:
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

Well, my captives and pets are winding down and starting to refuse feedings. It's getting much colder here in southern AZ. Tomorrow it's not supposed to reach 60*F. for a high. But I did still see a couple of tree lizards in the yard yesterday. I have a few more points I'd like to make about them.

First, let's say that the lizards need to be able to reach a certain range of temps to be able to become active. I think the tree lizards are more hardy than the other species, the common ones being the desert spiny, the tiger whiptail, and the zebra-tailed lizards. We also have geckos which are pretty hardy, but the tree lizards are much more common. Tree lizards are sometimes seen when no other lizards are active. I've seen them in the middle of winter when daytime temps reach the 70's, or so.

The last few days have been very cool in the mornings. Also the sun isn't coming up as early. The lizards aren't active when temps are below 70*. But I usually see a few after the sun is higher in the sky, like around 11 a.m, or so, with temps above 70*. I love knowing there are some active herps around while I'm working, not to mention the tree lizards are a major part of the food chain. As long as there's some food around there may be some active snakes too. Tree lizards live on or under the ground when they're not in the trees. They go in the trees to forage and to warm up. They do a lot of basking and head-bobbing. They have fantastic camouflage and seem to like trees with rough bark the best, such as mesquite and acacia. Once you spot one they often run around the other side and by the time you look on the other side they've disappeared. Sometimes if I'm watering some kind of plant I'll spray up into the tree and can many times get the lizard to run down closer to the ground.

When the tree lizards aren't busy up in a tree, they usually take refuge underground or under a cover object, such as in a waste pile, or brush pile. I like to keep brush piles, with a lot of composting going on, near some good trees. Tree lizards live in the brush piles and also breed there. They must have clutches hatching under this kind of cover, because I often see tiny babies hanging around in the branches of the brush piles. Sometimes I spray a little water on the piles to make them even more fertile. The termites are constantly breaking down the woody pieces and recycling the waste. Lots of other creatures make use of the brush piles too, creating mini ecosystems.

This is the time of year that night driving is too cold and not much is seen. Most activity takes place during the heat of the day, when the days are actually warm enough. It's possible that some herps can be found under a/c. I like looking for desert specialties like sandsnakes, night snakes, etc. It helps if there's some moisture in the ground or under the cover object. River floodplains are good places to look. Foothills of mountains can be good too, especially near water courses. Maybe some montane specialties can be found this time of year, such as ringneck snakes, skinks, or whatever. Let us know if you have any luck...

Terry :crazyeyes:
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

Just thought I'd add a little more to this strand. It's a little boring around here when most of the herps aren't moving, but I'm still seeing the tree lizards.

One reason for this addition is because I made a mistake in a previous post in this strand. I said that the lizards don't move much below 70*F. That may be true for most lizards, but I've been looking for the tree lizards the past week, or so, and have found them early in the morning when the sun is up enough to be warming the bark on the trees. I've gone out a couple times when it was only about 50*F. and the sun wasn't shining directly on anything, yet. When it does start hitting me I can feel the warmth right away. I imagine the tree lizards too can feel the warmth. They tend to get high enough to be away from the cold ground. They also tend to use trees with rough, dark bark. The lizards themselves seem to be very dark colored this time of year. I think it has to do with absorbing more warmth from the sun's rays. I've seen them now at about 55*F.

All the other lizards seem to be done for the year, in our neighborhood anyway. I haven't seen any spinies, whiptails, or geckos for 2 or 3 weeks. I keep trying to find herps in the yard, by observation and looking under a/c. Nada. Wintertime is a good time for working on the landscaping, however. I do a lot of trimming, raking, transplanting, etc. The yard is becoming more and more herp-friendly as time goes on. We attract a lot of lizards, so the habitat must be pretty good for them. I think many of them use the brush and litter piles to hide in and to make their nests in. We had a record number of baby lizards in our yard this summer and fall. The lizards, of course, attract a number of lizard-eating snakes. So, the habitat has to be good for snakes too, and it is. During the winter I'm working on making the brush piles better and planting to make the landscape optimal. I also had an idea which could help me learn more about what kind of herps there are and their numbers. I built my first pit trap this week. I'm hoping to find some lizards in it next season and maybe even a snake or two, if I'm lucky. I also put out some boards that I can check in the proper season for flipping.

The last three years I've been doing some flipping in the river floodplain. I've been lucky enough to find an assortment of lizards hiding under cover and not moving, because of the cold. I also have had luck with some small, fossorial snakes, such as black-headed and sandsnakes. I usually start in the early morning when it's only about 50*F., or so. By the time it gets up to about 70*, the herps are pretty active and harder to find. You have to watch out for larger herps too, like rattlesnakes. They can be dangerous if you're not paying attention, and can be in some places you really wouldn't expect them. I mention this stuff, so some folks who are still wanting to do some herping might get out there and see what they can find. I'd like to hear what other kinds of herps can be found under these conditions.

One last thing is collecting. One unlucky tree lizard was part of an experiment I did recently. I had a small group of baby snakes that weren't eating. They hadn't eaten anything since they hatched and I wasn't really sure what they would eat. I had tried everything, including frozen/thawed snakes and lizards, but no reaction. Yesterday, at less than optimal temps, one of the baby snakes attacted and devoured a live tree lizard. What I learned seemed to be that tree lizards were an important part of their diet. So, at least one of these baby snakes will likely survive now. I think learning about aspects of the food chain are important and I was able to observe some valuable behavior too.

Cheers.... ;)
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ratsnakehaven
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Re: Some notes on Urosaurus ornatus...

Post by ratsnakehaven »

I've been seeing tree lizards since sometime in February. It was a pretty warm winter with a little rain in January. It's pretty dry now though. Interestingly, I left the door to the back porch open one day and a tree lizard got in. I found it up against a sunny window. A few days later another one got in. The temps were in the low 70's. I decided to do some photography with a couple of these.

This is a male that was trapped on our back porch....
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Here's a photo of another male....
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...and the venter of same male....
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Notice the blue patches.

Here's a female...
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...and the venter of same female...
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One further note is that I've been seeing a lot of baby tree lizards, not on trees, but in the brush and composte piles.... ;)

Later....TC
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