Island night lizard


The island night lizard is a species of night lizard native to three of the Channel Islands of California: San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island, and San Clemente Island. A small number of island night lizards also live on Sutil Island, near Santa Barbara Island.

Etymology

The specific name, riversiana, is in honor of James John Rivers, a London-born physician and naturalist, who was Curator of Natural History at the University of California.

Subspecies

The San Clemente Island population is a recognized subspecies, the San Clemente night lizard.

Conservation status

The Island night lizard was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in the United States since 1977; the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as vulnerable. In 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the administrating agency for the ESA, removed the San Clemente subspecies from the ESA. Better control of munitions-sparked wildfires may have been a reason. In March 2014, The US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the species from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife. This removal was attributed to the removal of non-native animals such as cats and goats from the islands and partnering between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Navy.

Habitat

The island night lizard's preferred habitat is coastal scrub made up of dense boxthorn and cacti thickets.

Reproduction

Like other night lizards, the island night lizard bears live young rather than laying eggs. The island night lizard is much larger than another species in the genus Xantusia, the desert night lizard of southern California.

Description

Island night lizards are typically between in length, not including the tail. They typically live between 11 and 13 years, but some individuals are estimated to have lived 30 years or more. Their color varies from pale ash gray and beige to brown and black. They may have uniform, mottled, and striped patterns.