Common Collared Lizard

This Common Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) let us walk right up to it and shove a camera in its face on the Dolores River Canyon Trail.

The Common Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) is shocking to see. A little larger and it would cause unprepared hikers to run screaming in the opposite direction. Wildly colored, the male can range from bright blue to bright yellow. Like their Dinosaur cousins, this lizard can run on its hind legs up to 16 mph. I don't care what size it is, I might run over a cliff if this bad boy started sprinting towards my enticing ankles! They are able predators after all, but fortunately feed on insects and worms and not people-Phew! Total sun worshipers, the Common Collared Lizard prefers to bask in temperatures over 105°F, which is probably why we were able to walk up the specimen in this post. It was only around 80°F; and he was probably sluggish. The defining feature, of course, is the large black collar that is visible on both the male and female.