Elgaria multicarinata

Southern Alligator Lizard
This fellow is an adult Southern (meaning Southern California) Alligator Lizard. If it were a juvenile lizard, it would not have the dark crossbands. This one is a young adult... only about six inches long. It still had its original tail intact, so it hasn’t had an encounter with a predator yet. These lizards are fortunate enough to be able to let go the tail if something tries to make a meal of it starting from the back end. When I came upon him, this fellow was sunning himself (Because of the shape of its head, it’s almost certainly a male). It allowed me to come within about a foot for the photograph. I had with me only my small Olympus camera, so I had to get close. The Southern Alligator Lizard has a long, slender body -- up to seven inches -- with relatively small legs. An individual that has never suffered caudal autonomy (losing its tail) in an encounter with a predator, may have a tail nearly twice the length of its body, making the largest individuals 21 inches from end to end. An individual with less luck may have a regenerated tail which is shorter and usually a different color from the rest of its body.