Natural History Story
Initially, I wanted to do my Natural History Story assignment on my most exciting observation so far, the Gopher Snake. Gopher Snakes in themselves aren't particularly titillating, but I nearly stepped on the poor thing and it gave me quite a fright. Luckily, I remembered that we had already discussed gopher snakes and rattlesnakes in class, and didn't want to do the assignment on a redundant species. So, I decided it'd be better to do it on my second most exciting observation, the Side-Blotched Lizard!
I came across this lizard while hiking through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a part of the Mojave Desert located in Southern Nevada, located only 20 or so miles from the Las Vegas Strip. To give credit where credit is due, technically, my brother came across the lizard. He was keeping an eye out with me for interesting critters and wildlife. After about an hour or so of hiking, I was starting to feel discouraged when he called me over. I snapped a picture from a few feet away and, when I went to get closer for a better look, the lizard quickly scurried into some nearby brush. What really struck me about the lizard was it's interesting coloring. It's head and tail were a bright orange-red. The intensity of it's coloring faded gradually into it's midsection, faintly reminding me of the ombre hairstyles that are currently en vogue.
The Common Side-Blotched Lizard (scientific name Uta stansburiana) is the most common and abundant of all lizards observed in North America. Experts are split as to whether subspecies exist, but assuming they do, the particular species of lizard I observed would be either the Nevada Side-Blotched Lizard (scientific name Uta stansburiana nevadensis) or Western Side-Blotched Lizard (scientific name Uta stansburiana elegans). It is primarily found in the open, rocky areas of desert ecosystems, amongst scattered vegetation. No conservation agencies have reported an endangered or significant status for the Side-Blotched Lizard. While the lizard is a predator to small invertebrates and arthropods, like beetles and ticks, it falls prey to other predators which can include larger lizards, birds, and snakes. The lizard engages in crypsis, a form of camouflage, to avoid predators.To account for the numbers that fall prey to predators, the Side-Blotched Lizard has been characterized as a "prolific breeder".
Indeed, the most noteworthy and interesting feature of this otherwise common and mundane species of lizard is its breeding behavior, related to its interesting polymorphism. There are three "morphs" of male lizards: the ultradominant, orange-throated morph, the dominant, blue-throated morph, and the yellow-throated, "sneaker" morph. The mating of the Side-Blotched Lizard is particularly unique because each of these three morphs engages a different strategy for mating. The mating behavior is modeled after a rock-paper-scissors or frequency-dependent sexual selection mechanism in which one morph is able to perform well against another, but is outcompeted by and performs poorly next to the third morph. This unique mating behavior allows for significant variation in the breeding population!
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