We came across these interesting patterns in the sand beside our campsite along the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. It was a sandy beach, with lots of driftwood and scattered rocks. There were a lot of these prints around, and at first I was a little confused about their meaning, until I found this fellow perched on a nearby branch.
I believe this is a Plateau Fence Lizard, which is well adapted to life in this rocky desert environment. I believe the long tail and unusually shaped toes account for those prints in the sand. They are fairly small lizards, ranging between 2-4 inches in length (males are slightly smaller than females). They are primarily insect eaters, and rather cute..
