Lizards (Phoenix, Peoria, Sun City: car insurance, houses, landscaping)

[markas214]

We will be moving to the valley in June, I have a job lined up in Sun City. I'm looking at living in either Surprise, Peoria, Arrowhead area or Litchfield Park. My 7 year old son has had a real love of reptiles for a few years, he wants to be a herpetologist. One thing he really is looking forward to are all the reptile species in Arizona and Maricopa County. Are lizards common in residential areas? What would be a good area to move to to find lizards wandering or loitering around on a daily basis in our yard and neighborhood? I'd really appreciate as much input as I can get about personal experiences and great locations for "lizard hunting" in the yard which he loved doing in Florida while we were on vacation.

[ivanabacowboy]

My son at one point had 4 iguanas, 2 snakes, a skink (lizardish thing that looks like a hotdog with legs lol!), 3 turtles and 2 frogs so I see where you are coming from. ;-)

You will see the little bitty lizards quite frequently. I forget what they are called-they sort of look like that thing in the gecko car insurance commercial. They like sitting on brick walls and pavement and soaking up the sun. I've seen a few which are a little larger.

Maybe someone who knows more about local wildlife will chime in. But I know your son is guaranteed to see the little bitty lizards-they are everywhere.

[observer53]

The little lizards are, in fact, geckos (hence the GEICO connection). They aren't green like the one in the commercial, but brown, to blend in their surroundings.

If you have desert landscaping, (and sometimes even if you don't) you will have them. They eat lots of bugs, and are actually fun to watch. We had one that found its way through a hole in the screen of our Arizona room. She (I always thought of her as female) had all the bugs that ended up on the inside all to herself. If anyone walked out there, she would zip out through the hole, and then not long after she'd be back inside, up on the screen again.

That's pretty much what you are likely to find in residential areas.

[ArizonaBear]

Thank God that geckos are little guys; they are like hummingbirds-----------afraid of very little.

[MotleyCrew]

Out on our walking trail we see these huge lizzards along with the other smaller types. These large fellows have a cobalt blue chin/collar and move quickly. Some of them are as thick as my fist. I have seen a few little Gekos too.

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by markas214

We will be moving to the valley in June, I have a job lined up in Sun City. I'm looking at living in either Surprise, Peoria, Arrowhead area or Litchfield Park. My 7 year old son has had a real love of reptiles for a few years, he wants to be a herpetologist. One thing he really is looking forward to are all the reptile species in Arizona and Maricopa County. Are lizards common in residential areas? What would be a good area to move to to find lizards wandering or loitering around on a daily basis in our yard and neighborhood? I'd really appreciate as much input as I can get about personal experiences and great locations for "lizard hunting" in the yard which he loved doing in Florida while we were on vacation.

If you have brick walls you will usually see more than if you have wood fences. There are the geckos that others are saying, and then there are what i call 'wall lizards' that are tan and have color markings on the bottom (blue, green usually). Idon't know the real name, but that's what my friends and I called them when we were kids. Very scientific we were. Both are safe. Sometimes they will drop their tails as a defense mechanism if you catch them, but they grow back. You have to be real fast to catch them on the wall....good luck. Feed them crickets if you do keep them as pets.

tick tock...

I looked it up:

Flickr: Discussing Ubiquitous Arizona: Lizards and Reptiles in Arizona Wonders (up to 3 in a row guidelines) (http://www.flickr.com/groups/azwonders/discuss/72157600163472369 - broken link)

"Ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus): Truly one of the most common lizards of AZ, found throughout the state. " (second image from top) this is the 'wall lizard' i was referring to. you'll see these things doing 'pushups' on the wall getting warmed up in the sun. ;-)


The 3rd image from top on that flicker linka bove is something I've only ever seen 'up north' in payson and places like that. We called them horny toads. ;-) They can spit blood in defense and it's pretty gross to be honest, so be careful if you catch them. I had it happen once...
http://www.arizona-leisure.com/horned-toad.html



The gecko you will see here are also on the walls, but i only ever see them on the outside of houses crawling around. They are sort of transparent and nocturnal:
http://fireflyforest.net/images/fire...nean-Gecko.jpg

[markas214]

Thanks for the replies. Do people who go walking in the desert and mountains during cooler months see much wildlife? Are there any safety concerns i should be aware of?

[Design7]

http://abqstyle.com/linked/lizard_papago.jpg (broken link)

Walking in the desert is a wonderful experience during the spring, fall and winter months (summer will inspire thoughts of hellfire). Truthfully, cholla cactus will be more of a danger than wildlife. Learn what a cholla cactus is and avoid it if you plan to hike. As a photographer, I spend alot of time in the "wild". As a former New Yorker I thought I would not enjoy the little critters, but I have not had a bad experience. The fact is if you own a tiny dog they may be in more danger from coyotes or hawks. I've seen a hawks go after puppies and coyotes snatch little dogs in South Mountain. Generally, there is not much to worry about as long as you don't like to overturn rocks looking for snakes I guess.

Photo: I shot this photo of a tiny lizard in Papago Park in Phoenix. It was about three inches long.

AbqStyle Arizona & New Mexico Photography Blog

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by observer53

The little lizards are, in fact, geckos (hence the GEICO connection). They aren't green like the one in the commercial, but brown, to blend in their surroundings.

If you have desert landscaping, (and sometimes even if you don't) you will have them. They eat lots of bugs, and are actually fun to watch. We had one that found its way through a hole in the screen of our Arizona room. She (I always thought of her as female) had all the bugs that ended up on the inside all to herself. If anyone walked out there, she would zip out through the hole, and then not long after she'd be back inside, up on the screen again.

That's pretty much what you are likely to find in residential areas.

They are all running around here in tampa, and the dogs do love to try to catch them! They never ever did see this! One dog stalks quiet, as a cat, then trys to attack fast, however, the lizzards climb, or does hide into the down drain! If they enter the house the other dog stalks them till they run back to freedom!

[Huckleberry3911948]

i dont know your area but we got lots of alligator lizards and skinks.
also some others i dont know. i will try to post photos.
i love lizards when they come around the black widows disappear.