Island Night Lizard

The Island Night Lizard (Xantusia riversiana) is a night lizard native to three of the Channel Islands of California: San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island and San Clemente Island. The San Clemente community is a recognized subspecies, the San Clemente Night Lizard, or Xantusia riversiana reticulata. The Island Night Lizard was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in the United States since 1977; the IUCN lists the species as vulnerable. In 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the administrating agency for the ESA, removed the San Clemente subspecies from the ESA. Better control of the munitions-sparked wildlifes may have been a reason. This lizard's preferred habitat is coastal scrub made up of dense boxthorn and cacti thickets. Like other night lizards, it bears live young rather than laying eggs. The island lizards are much larger than their cousins in the genus, the desert night lizards (Xantusia vigilis) of southern California.