Clark's Spiny Lizard, an interesting and athletic reptile, is a truly beautiful creature. Not only can these lizards change color, but they can also make rewarding pets when kept in captivity.

Most often, Clark's Spiny Lizards are noted in areas with trees or large bushes. They have also been found in very rocky areas and enjoy basking. Surprisingly, Clark's Spiny Lizards can change color when basking, or when the days become cooler. Clark's Spiny Lizards prey primarily upon insects. They are very quick and agile, and can be difficult to catch. When startled, they will generally take refuge high in a tree or in a small crack or crevice.

Generally, Clark's Spiny Lizards are tan or brown, with turquoise scales interspersed over the back and darker collars running under or around their necks. Depending on surrounding temperatures, Clark's Spiny Lizards change color. In hotter temperatures, they are generally lighter, whereas in colder climes, their color will darken. This helps them absorb or deflect heat, and is known as metachromatism. Female Clark's Spiny Lizards often develop orange or red coloring over their heads at breeding season, and males can be distinguished by their throats and bellies, which are always a bright blue color. By maturity, Many Clark's Spiny Lizards will have reached lengths between two and three quarters and five inches (65 to 135 millimeters). Their scales are pointed and keeled and have a spiny appearance.

Clark's Spiny Lizards are found in the Sonoran desert region of North America. They inhabit dry, rocky areas of the southwestern United States, though many of these lizards living in Mexico may be found in oak and pine woodlands or in tropical forests. Generally, they are found in altitudes between sea level and 6,000 feet (1,830 meters).

In captivity, Clark's Spiny Lizards can do well when kept in a terrarium with a substrate consisting of one part sand mixed with three parts peat soil over a layer of gravel to allow a drainage system. They should be provided with a few plants or patches of peat moss to allow them pockets of humid air. Clark's Spiny Lizards usually enjoy lots of hiding areas or branches. Flat rocks may also be appreciated. A basking spot of about 90 degrees Fahrenheit should be provided, and the overall ambient temperature should remain around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature can drop down to between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Clark's Spiny Lizards often eat crickets, spiders, flies, or moths. Many people also offer their lizards pinkie mice, superworms, or waxworms. Water can be provided through a misting of the sides of the tank, until droplets form. Because Clark's Spiny Lizards are such good jumpers, you should try to keep a lid tightly on their terrariums at all times!

Clark's Spiny Lizards usually lay their eggs between the summer and fall. Each clutch contains between 4 and 24 eggs that will require between 60 and 75 days to hatch.