Collared Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris
Photo taken by Jim Blaugh at Jacks Canyon Bridge on Hwy 87, South of Winslow, Arizona. This location is in the Little Colorado River Valley which cuts through the Colorado Plateau and the Painted Desert.
Many specialists recognize three species of Collared Lizards that potentially may be found in the Sonoran Desert. The nominate species, Crotaphytus collaris, the one shown here, gets the common name Eastern Collared Lizard and is found in the northeastern and southeastern portions of the Sonoran Desert. In the far western and northwestern portions of the Sonoran Desert is the Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) and in the southern portions of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and ranging into Sonora, Mexico look for the Sonoran Collared Lizard. There are some differences in color, the neck rings, and the shape of the tail.