California Lizards and How to Find Them

Emily Taylor is a professor of biological sciences at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where she conducts research on the physiology, ecology, and conservation biology of lizards and snakes. Taylor is founder of the community science initiative Project RattleCam (rattlecam.org) and owner of Central Coast Snake Services (centralcoastsnakeservices.com). Her first book, California Snakes and How to Find Them, was published by Heyday in 2024. She lives in Atascadero, CA. Follow her at @snakeymama.

• PrefaceIntroductionLizards in Wonderland: Why California Has So Many LizardsWhat are Lizards?A Tale of Two LizardsHow to Find and Watch Lizards in CaliforniaCatching Lizards: A Cautionary "Tail"Family AnguidaeNorthern Alligator LizardSouthern Alligator LizardPanamint Alligator LizardFamily AnniellidaeLegless LizardsFamily ChamaeleonidaeJackson’s ChameleonFamily CrotaphytidaeGreat Basin Collared LizardBaja California Collared LizardBlunt-nosed Leopard LizardLong-nosed and Cope’s Leopard LizardsFamily DactyloidaeGreen AnoleBrown AnoleFamily EublepharidaeSwitak’s Banded GeckoWestern Banded GeckoFamily GekkonidaeRough-tailed Bowfoot GeckoHouse GeckosFamily HelodermatidaeGila MonsterFamily IguanidaeDesert IguanaCommon ChuckwallaFamily LacertidaeItalian Wall LizardFamily PhrynosomatidaeZebra-tailed LizardBanded Rock LizardCoast Horned LizardPygmy Short-horned LizardFlat-tailed Horned LizardDesert Horned LizardCommon Sagebrush LizardDesert Spiny LizardFence LizardsGranite Spiny LizardFringe-toed LizardsBrush LizardsOrnate Tree LizardCommon Side-blotched LizardFamily PhyllodactylidaePeninsula Leaf-toed GeckoWall GeckosFamily ScincidaeOcellated SkinkGilbert’s SkinkWestern SkinkFamily TeiidaeOrange-throated WhiptailNon-native WhiptailsWestern WhiptailFamily XantusiidaeSandstone and Granite Night LizardsIsland Night LizardDesert Night Lizard and RelativesAcknowledgmentsRecommended Further ReadingAbout the Author

Praise for California Lizards and How to Find Them:"Unlike many supposedly traditional field guides nowadays, Lizards is small and designed to be portable, with rounded edges that won't snag in your cargo shorts. The book also focuses on a question often neglected in similar volumes: How do you find these little guys in the first place? Taylor packs her book with beautiful photos of coast horned lizards (aka 'horny toads,' who really can shoot blood out of their eye sockets) and fence lizards (the state’s ubiquitous 'blue-bellies'), as well as compelling stories about sighting these creatures over her years taking students out into the field." —Robert Ito, New York Times"This guide joyfully celebrates the beauty and quirkiness of our native lizards. It makes you want to explore and watch these amazing creatures' wild behavior. It invites the naturalist to be both playful and rigorous. Learn where to go, how to explore, and delightful details to watch for." —John Muir Laws, author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling"Emily Taylor provides answers to any lizard questions you probably have ever had, doesn't use jargon so the content is easily understandable, and helps readers make informed decisions about whether to try and catch lizards or to leave them be. Even if you don’t want to go looking for lizards, if you have a curiosity about the natural world this book belongs on your shelf." —Earyn McGee, herpetologist, science communicator, and creator of #FindThatLizard"Emily Taylor's books are indispensable. What Taylor has done and continues to do for popularizing California herpetology is unparalleled." —Obi Kaufmann, author of The California Field Atlas and The Deserts of CaliforniaPraise for California Snakes and How to Find Them by Emily Taylor (2024):"I've loved snakes since childhood and am thrilled to now have this gorgeous book as my companion to finding snakes wherever a walk on the wild side takes me." —Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Backyard Bird Chronicles"For anyone who loves snakes, or who wants to love them, Emily Taylor's California Snakes and How to Find Them is packed with facts in reader- friendly prose by one of the world’s leading snake biologists and conservationists. The utility and emotional impact of this book are further enhanced by some of the most evocative photographs of snakes I've ever seen, spanning technically perfect closeups of heads to stunning images of individuals in their species-typical habitats. California Snakes sets a new high bar for nature education, and I look forward to future volumes about other animal groups." —Harry W. Greene, author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature and Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art"Emily Taylor's enthusiasm and love for snakes shine through every sentence of California Snakes and How to Find Them. Her engaging personal stories, authoritative information, and spectacular photographs will charm snake-lovers and future snake-lovers alike. See you in the field, armed with persistence, luck, and knowledge. Happy herping!" —Marty Crump, author of Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard’s Leg: The Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles