Matthew+Whirtney+Mojave+Lizard

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Here is the Mojave Lizard. There scientific name is the Mojave fringe toed lizard. They live in the Mojave Dsert in the Southwest part of the United States.They are insectivorous,which means it eats insects.There prey include ants,beetles,grasshoppers,cockroaches,spiders and caterpillars.They also eat Flower buds,stems,leaves and seeds of plants.Mojave Desert Lizards spend most of their time in burrows located under the sand, for protection from,predators,temperature extreams and solar radiationThey can grow from between 4 and 12 inches.There relationship between species is symbiotic.Since there are many resourses in the Mojave desert the Mojave Lizard does not need to compete with other species very much.Little information is known about details of reproduction,but the temperature in which the Lizard raised has effects on the lizards.Unlike us humans,Mojave Desert Lizards do not require water but they do drink on a rare occasion.This species of lizards are more heat tolerant than any other reptile in North America.These species are active during the day. They search for food and resources. During the night they sleep n their burrows under the sand. The map on the right is where the Mojave Desert is located.It is home to the Mojave Desert Lizard and countless other animals.The Mojave Desert region is spread out into four states,Arizona, California,Nevada and Utah. **Reproducing In order for the lizards to reproduce or mate ,there are a few conditions that apply.If there is alot of rainfall during the winter season the lizards will reproduce. They usually reproduce then. This is because the baby lizards need food.If there is no water there prey such as insects and seeds of plants they cannot live. When the female lizard gets pregnant she usually produces 2 to 3 eggs. Then she hides the eggs in the sand.when grown up the babies stay with the family in a pack. ** **Population Expansion This species,the Mojave Desert Lizard could fill the niche left by the Desert Tortoise. The mojave lizard eats plant seeds and insects just like the tortoise. They also live in the same area,the Mojave Desert located in the Southwest part of the U.S. This way the food web or chain would be unaffected by any changes if the desert tortoise would disappear. The amount of lizards would over populate with an average of 25 lizards per square mile and from 5-60 tortoises per square mile. From the population of both species,it would not take long for the lizard to take over the niche left behind of the tortoise. Bibliography** Miller, D.M. and Amoroso, L. (2007). //Preliminary surficial geology of the Dove Spring off-highway vehicle open area, Mojave Desert, California// [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1265]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
 * Mojave Desert Lizard**
 * Location**

http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/Source/references: California Department Fish & Game National Park Service & others Copyright ©Walter Feller

Avery, Harold W. __Nutritional Ecology of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in Relation to Cattle Grazing in the Mojave Desert__. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI, 1998.

http://oldsite.dri.edu/deesprojects/cablk_uma.htm September 2002Department of Defense, U.S. Marine Corps    **Mary Cablk**