Winter Behavior of the Granite Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus orcutti Stejneger

Abstract

During the winter as many as 37 Sceloporus orcutti were found together in rock crevices in western Riverside County, California. First-year animals were located close to the surface of the rock while older animals were found deep within rock boulders. Temperature fluctuations within a deep crevice were 2? C during a winter day, while a crevice containing only young animals experienced a change of 16? C. Rising crevice temperatures in late winter seemed to be a major cue for emergence. Many adult lizards occupied a specific crevice in consecutive winters which was outside the normal spring-summer home range. Home ranges were re-established shortly after the lizards emerged. This migration pattern to and from the winter crevices was well established by the time a lizard was three years old as a result of changes in home range localities, changes in crevice requirements, and memory of the location of past wintering areas.