Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
Encyclopedia
The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata) is a species
of phrynosomatid
lizard
.
in California, a threatened species in the United States
, and the IUCN classifies it as endangered.
, Riverside County, California
. Since the 1970s, estimates of this species' habitat have decreased by approximately 75 percent. This may be due to human activities.
, 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
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of phrynosomatid
Phrynosomatidae
Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizards, found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie...
lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
.
Conservation status
It is listed as an endangered speciesEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in California, a threatened species in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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 ValleyCoachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
, Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
. Since the 1970s, estimates of this species' habitat have decreased by approximately 75 percent. This may be 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 RefugeCoachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in the Coachella Valley, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California...
, for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, is contained within the Coachella Valley Preserve, and Indio Hills Palms State Reserve
Indio Hills Palms
Indio Hills Palms State Reserve and the Coachella Valley Preserve, located in the Indio Hills, contain the 1,000 Palms Oasis, and are a protected area in the Coachella Valley, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California...
, located east of Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
near Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
, in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
region of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
.