A little dinosaur: The common collared lizard

We met it in a trail of Palo Duro Canyon, Texas. The colorful "dinosaur" crossed the path and stopped on the border. It looked at us without showing fear. We got close and began a photo session. The lizard stayed put and displayed its best angles. What a professional model!
Collage of photos of a common collared lizard in a trail of Palo Duro Canyon, Texas - Photos: Still Gravity.
Our common collared lizard in Palo Duro Canyon - License our images here.

They are also called eastern collared lizard to differentiate from its western cousin, the Great Basin collared lizard or desert collared lizard. Their major difference is in the colors. The eastern one has more vivid tones. But temperature and season influence their skin color. You can confuse them.  

When running on their hind legs, these lizards look like tiny dinosaurs - check the first image of the collage. This one is a male. Males have well-defined orange bands across the body.

The colorful fellas are Oklahoma's state reptile since 1969. The old pioneers called them "mountain boomers". Those folks believed that the lizards were the source of loud sounds that came from the mountains. 

The common collared lizard is brave. If you put two males in a cage they will fight to death.

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