Lizards of Iowa

1
Lizards of Iowa

• From The Lizards Turtles of Iowa
• J.L. Christiansen R.M. Bailey Iowa Department
  of Natural Resources. Permission has been
  granted to use photos in this study CD-ROM.

2
Lizards of Iowa

• Family Scincidae
• Skinks
• Family Anguidae
• Glass Lizards
• Family Teiidae
• Racerunners

3
Eumeces septentrionalisNorthern Prairie Skink

• NW/NC Iowa in sandy habitat near rivers on
  prairie or forest edge
• 5 8
• 4 legs, shiny hard scales
• Breeding males orange head
• Young brown with 7 stripes blue tail (tail
  falls off)
• Old tan middorsal band
• Small insects

4
Eumeces fasciatusFive-Lined Skink

• NE tier of counties
• Forest edge near rocks
• Below ground mostly
• 5-8
• Black when young, white midline, 2 stripes on
  side
• Old- narrow dorsal stripe
• Male has red head during breeding season
• Small arthropods

5
Eumeces obsoletusGreat Plains Skink

• Endangered in one state park, SW loess hills
• Near clumps of trees near streams
• Open or forest edge
• 6.5 14 feet largest lizard
• No stripes, dark scales may look like stripes
• Diagonal row lateral scales
• Insects, larvae

6
Ophisaurus attenuatusSlender Glass Lizard

• Endangered SE corner
• Open grassland near woods
• 2-3.5 feet mostly tail
• Tail shatters
• Insects, small snakes
• Only lizard w/o legs

7
Cnemidophorus sexlineatusSix-Lined Racerunner

• Dry loess, sandy soil
• SW by Missouri River
• SE by Mississippi, up Cedar
• 6-10 inches
• Whiptails- long, slender
• 8 rows of plates with dark back
• Greenish head
• Young blue tip on tail