Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard

The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard.

Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Uma
Species:
U. inornata
Binomial name
Uma inornata
Cope, 1895

Geographic range

It is endemic to California.

Conservation status

It is listed as an endangered species in California, a threatened species in the United States, and the IUCN classifies it as endangered.

Habitat

The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard is restricted to habitats with fine, windblown sand deposits in the sandy plains of the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California. Since the 1970s, estimates of this species' habitat has decreased by about 75% due to human activities.

Description

The species is well adapted to its desert habitat. It has a wedged-shaped nose which enables it to burrow through loose, fine sand. Elongated scales cover the ears to keep out blowing sand, and specialized nostrils allow it to breathe below the sand without inhaling sand particles.

Refuge

The Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge, for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, is contained within the Coachella Valley Preserve, and Indio Hills Palms State Reserve, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California, in the Colorado Desert region of the Sonoran Desert.

References
  • Gimenez Dixon (1996). "Uma inornata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996. Retrieved 11 May 2006.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Listed as Endangered (EN A1a, B1+2c v2.3)
  • California Department of Fish and Game. Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard


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