Gambelia Sila - Conservation Status

Conservation Status

Gambelia sila, also known as the Blunt-nosed leopard lizard is listed as a federal endangered species and is listed by the State of California as an endangered species and fully protected species. This species is thought to have declined as a result of habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation caused by development and habitat modification. This lizard formerly was found in all of the San Joaquin Valley and the adjacent foothills of southern California. Currently the Blunt-nosed leopard lizard only occupies few, scattered undeveloped plots of land on the floor of the San Joaquin Valley and in the foothills of the Coast Range. San Joaquin Valley is a desert experiencing an ecological shift due to invasive species of non-native annual grasses most likely spread by grazing cows. The Blunt-nosed leopard lizard along with other small terrestrial vertebrates are declining due to the ecological changes of the San Joaquin Valley as it is hypothesized that the invasive plants are altering vegetative structure. Although cattle may have originally been a factor in the establishment of these invasive species of plants, it was discovered by David Germano et al. that continued grazing, in order to keep the spread of the grasses limited, allowed for an increase in population size of not only the Blunt-nosed leopard lizard, but other suffering species of the Valley as well.