the.com/alligator lizard
A scaly knockoff alligator that drops its tail, then watches it dance to distract you.
means A slender, long-tailed lizard of the genus Elgaria and its relatives, found mostly in western North America, named for its armored, alligator-like scales and known for shedding its tail to escape predators.
from A plain descriptive English name, joining "alligator" with "lizard." "Alligator" itself comes from Spanish *el lagarto*, "the lizard" — so "alligator lizard" unspools, almost comically, to "the-lizard lizard." The Spanish *lagarto* traces back to Latin *lacertus/lacerta*, the Roman word for lizard. The creature earned the borrowed name because its bony, ridged scales recall a gator's hide in miniature.
- detachable tail
- Wriggles for minutes after release, then regrows
- vise grip
- Bites and refuses to let go for ages
- northern range
- Lives as far up as British Columbia
- long body
- Tail often longer than the entire body
- fold lines
- Skin folds along flanks for room to breathe
southern alligator lizard — gerrhonotus multicarinatus, common throughout california and mexico, up to 16 inches long
northern alligator lizard — elgaria coerulea, found from british columbia to baja california, named for its heavy plated scales