Callisaurus

Callisaurus is a genus of lizards in the family Phrynosomatidae that contains only one species, the zebra-tailed lizard, Callisaurus draconoides. The genus is monotypic, but nine subspecies of that species are recognised, among them Bogert's, the short-footed, the Carmen Island, the Sonoran, the Nevada, the Mojave and the eastern zebra-tailed lizards. The animals are 64 to 102 mm from snout to vent, grey to sandy brown with paired dark spots along the back and black cross bands on a tail that is white and barred beneath. Males show black side blotches and blue belly patches. They live in open desert flats, washes and plains with hard-packed soil, across the southwestern United States and north-western Mexico, from the Mojave and Colorado deserts north into the southern Great Basin. They run fast with the tail curled over the back and wagged from side to side to distract predators, and eat insects, spiders, smaller lizards and some plant matter.