Great Basin Naturalist
Abstract
The natural history of Sceloporus magister was studied in populations at the Nevada Test Site, Mercury. Individuals were marked and kept under surveillance from 1965 through 1970. Reproductive cycles were examined by field observation and by autopsy. Hatchlings appear in the population in July and August. Growth is rapid for the first year. Sexual maturity is reached before the second hibernation or soon after emergence from it. Territoriality is a pronounced behaviorism; individuals have been observed to remain in a small area for several years. Food consists of arthropods, with ants the predominant item. Reproduction occurs during May and/or June with only one clutch per year. Density is variable and depends on the appropriateness of the habitat.
Recommended Citation
Tanner, Wilmer W. and Krogh, John E.
(1973)
"Ecology of Sceloporus magister at the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada,"
Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 33:
No.
3, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol33/iss3/1