spiny lizard

noun

1. any of numerous iguanid lizards of the genus Sceloporus, common in North and Central America, usually having keeled scales that may end in a sharp point.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiny lizard¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

They surveyed populations of the Yarrow's spiny lizard in 18 mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and analyzed the rate of climate-related extinction over time.

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McGee, a herpetologist, studies the habitat and behavior of Yarrow’s spiny lizard, a reptile native to the Southwestern United States.

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I believe it is now thought that the spider of the Scriptures was a kind of spiny lizard called the Gecko.

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The Yarrow's spiny lizard native to the southwestern U.S. and western Mexico can be spotted in oak and pine forests in 18 of Arizona's Sky Islands mountain ranges.

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