Prairie Lizard

A prairie lizard I found on a log during a hike. This is possibly a juvenile, but the thing that makes it tricky is that the prairie lizard of my region on Kansas has more muted colors as well such as missing the side stripes. Male prairie lizards, like a lot of the spiny lizards have teal undersides and neck patches during the mating season. Interestingly these guys have adopted new behaviors to avoid the imported fire ant who inhabit much of their same micro-habitats.