Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
January 1, 2014
Collared Lizards
Crotaphytus collaris
©1995 Melissa Kaplan
Range
North America.
Size
20-30 cm (8-12"
[14" according to Wynne 1981]).
Miscellaneous
Known in some areas as
the "mountain boomer" because it was mistakenly though to emit
a sound that echoed through the mountain valleys, it is the state lizard
of Oklahoma. Collareds are noted for their upright running on their hind
legs, giving them the appearance of miniature T. rex's (though this may
rarely be seen in captivity as their enclosures do not provide enough
room for such runs). They also have an interesting way of waving their
tail, much like a cat, before grabbing at prey. They are capable of hard
bites, but generally tame quickly. Collareds are relatively long-lived
lizards.
Description
The prominent
black bands behind the head give it is common and scientific names; body
green and head may be bright yellow. Male has brightly colored throat
(blue, green or even orange) and may have blue patches on his belly, with
generous sprinklings of white, yellow or red. Females are generally fawn
or gray, taking on red or salmon-colored speckling during breeding season.
Enclosure
Collareds require
very large, very hot enclosures. A strong temperature gradient is essential
for this rocky desert species, with a place for hot basking and a place
for cooling off. You should provide higher basking areas, thus creating
a vertical and horizontal gradient. Daytime 75-90, Basking 95-104; Nighttime
70-85.
A substrate of gravel and rocks will suit them. As they tend to the nervous side, hiding places are a must at different places along the gradient. (Note: tails can be drop though it generally takes a hard tug for them to do so.)
UVB-producing fluorescent lights are essential for calcium metabolism in addition to the incandescent lighting used to provide heat.
Diet
Collareds are
largely carnivorous, with young started on crickets and freshly molted
worms, and larger specimens fed upon small rodents (pinks to small mice).
Most will also take greens and vegetables (try high calcium and other
nutritious foods such as collard greens, mustard greens, figs, raspberries,
papaya, mango). As they tend to be aggressive feeders, they will cheerfully
chomp any small vertebrate, including other lizards and snakes with whom
they reside whom they can overpower.
Reproduction
This oviparous species lays 1-12 (average 4-6) in the spring/early summer,
hatching after about 10 weeks incubation.
Sources
Mattison, Chris. 1992. The Care of Reptiles and Amphibians In Captivity. Blandford Press, London. 306 p
Breen, John. 1974. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. TFH Publishing, Neptune City, NJ. 575 p.
Stebbins, Robert C. 1985. Peterson Field Guides: Western Reptiles And Amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA. 322 p
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