A marking experiment with Uta stansburiana stelnegeri was conducted during the summer and fall of 1960 in a sandy mesquite area in western Texas; additional data on some aspects of the study were obtained in the summer of 1961. Many lizards were captured 5 or more times so that fairly reliable estimates of home range size were obtained. The home range averages .06 acre in adult males, .02 in adult females and .01 in juveniles. This is smaller than averages reported for other North American lizards. In the study area immigration and emigration were negligible and estimates of population density showed 18.4 adults and 50 or more juveniles per acre. Most juvenile mortality occurs after hatching. Most of the adult lizards are monogamous. The home ranges of males in the breeding season show little or no overlap suggesting that the males display territoriality throughout the home range. The choice of home range and the ultimate size limit of the population seem to be determined by the position and number of pack rat nests in a given area. Distribution and abundance of vegetation and texture of the substratum are of secondary importance. The pack rat nests are importanlt to the lizards as shelters and retreats. Juveniles probably establish home ranges within or near those of the parent, a fact made possible by the death of the adults near the end of the reproductive season. The importance of specific plant species in the ecology of these lizards and possible predators, competitors, and other associates are discussed.
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Paris et al. (1962) studied this question.