Granite Spiny Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard

Both live where the granite country meets the Colorado Desert (Anza-Borrego, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto foothills); their records overlap there. A: Small, flat, smooth scales in the Granite Spiny Lizard; sharply keeled, rough, pointed scales in the Desert Spiny Lizard. B: A broad black collar across the shoulder, edged pale in the Granite Spiny Lizard; a black wedge on each side of the neck, edged pale behind in the Desert Spiny Lizard. C: Rich cobalt blue or violet, dark-edged in the Granite Spiny Lizard; blue or turquoise patch, bordered by the black collar in the Desert Spiny Lizard. D: Olive-brown to purple-black, flecked iridescent blue-green in the Granite Spiny Lizard; tan, straw-yellow or pale grey in the Desert Spiny Lizard. The Granite Spiny's back scales are even spinier and more overlapping. The Granite panel in row A shows the underside of the thigh; no open photo shows its rear surface clearly.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Granite Spiny Lizard vs. Southern Sagebrush Lizard
• Granite Spiny Lizard vs. Western Fence Lizard
• Granite Spiny Lizard vs. Common Side-blotched Lizard
• Granite Spiny Lizard vs. Ornate Tree Lizard
• Banded Rock Lizard vs. Granite Spiny Lizard
• Desert Collared Lizard vs. Granite Spiny Lizard
• Yarrow's Spiny Lizard vs. Granite Spiny Lizard
• Desert Spiny Lizard vs. Southern Sagebrush Lizard
• Desert Spiny Lizard vs. Western Fence Lizard
• Desert Spiny Lizard vs. Common Sagebrush Lizard
• Desert Spiny Lizard vs. Ornate Tree Lizard
• Desert Collared Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard
• Banded Rock Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard
• Yarrow's Spiny Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard
• Clark's Spiny Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard
• Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard vs. Desert Spiny Lizard

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