BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Elgaria coerulea
Northern Alligator Lizard
| Scientific Name: | Elgaria coerulea (Wiegmann, 1828) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Northern Alligator Lizard | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Good, D. A. 1988b. Phylogenetic relationships among gerrhonotine lizards: an analysis of external morphology. University of California Publication Zoology 121. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | R-ELCO | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Feb 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Mar 2025) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Not at Risk (May 2002) | ||||||||||
| COSEWIC Comments: | Principis Subspecies | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Apparently mates in April and May. Litter size averages 4-6, depending on locality. One litter per year. Females sexually mature in 32-44 months in northern California. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Global Migration Comments: | Mark-recapture studies in British Columbia indicated that individuals did not make long-distance moves between summer habitat and hibernation sites (Rutherford and Gregory 2003). | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Facultative - frequent use
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Unknown Riparian / Gravel Bar / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Forest / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Herbaceous / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Unknown Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Facultative - frequent use Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Talus / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Habitat includes open areas in coniferous forest, grassy grown-over areas at margins of woodlands, clearcuts, and areas along streams; along coast this lizard sometimes occurs far from trees or major cover; it is associated with rock outcrops and talus in some areas (Lais 1976). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Feeds on insects, ticks, spiders, millipedes, and snails. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Hibernates in winter; duration of inactive period varies with local climate. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 33/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | This lizard ranges from southern British Columbia (including Vancouver Island) southward through western Washington and western Oregon to west-central coastal California and the central Sierra Nevada (including the east side of Lake Tahoe basin) and Washoe County, Nevada (Vindum and Arnold 1997). It also ranges southward in the Rocky Mountains to northern Idaho and western Montana. Disjunct populations occurs in several areas in south-central Oregon, northeastern Calofornia, and northwestern Nevada (Stebbins 2003). The western edge of the distribution includes some small coastal islands (Stebbins 2003). The elevational range extends from sea level to around 3,200 m (Stebbins 2003). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Nov 04, 2003 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp. |
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Good, D. A. 1988a. Allozyme variation and phylogenetic relationships among the species of Elgaria (Squamata: Anguidae). Herpetologica 44:154-62. |
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Good, D. A. 1988b. Phylogenetic relationships among gerrhonotine lizards: an analysis of external morphology. University of California Publication Zoology 121. |
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Lais, P. M. 1976. Gerrhonotus coeruleus. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 178.1-178.4. |
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Nussbaum, R.A., E.D. Brodie, Jr., and R.M. Storm. 1983. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 332 pp. |
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Ovaska, K, S. Lennart, C Engelstoft, L. Matthias, E. Wind and J. MacGarvie. 2004. Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia. Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Ecosystems Standards and Planning, Biodiversity Branch |
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Rutherford, P.L., and P.T. Gregory. 2001. Habitat Use and Movement Patterns of Northern Alligator Lizards and Western Skinks in Southeastern British Columbia. Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro, B.C. Minist. Environ, Lands and Parks, B.C. Fish. in partnership with Creston Valley Wildl. Manage. Area, Columbia Basin Trust and Univ. Victoria. 52pp. |
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Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp. |
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Stewart, J. R. 1985. Growth and survivorship in a California population of Gerrhonotus coeruleus, with comments on intraspecific variation in adult female size. Am. Midl. Nat. 113:30-44. |
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The Reptiles of British Columbia: Alligator Lizard, Elgaria coerulea principis. 2004. Univ. Coll. of the Cariboo, and B.C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Prot. Online. Available: http://www.bcreptiles.ca/lizards/alligator.htm |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2003. Species Summary: Elgaria coerulea. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Oct 3, 2026).