Movements and Seasonal Activity Cycles of the Lizard Uta stansburiana stejnegeri

A pitfall trapping study in the Mojave Desert has shown that adult female Uta stansburiana stejnegeri Schmidt are more re- stricted to one part of their home range than are males, both during the reproductive season and the rest of the year. A limited number of dis- placements of adult lizards of both sexes have indicated that homing occurs consistently for displacements of less than 250 ft, occasionally for displacements of up to 400 ft and never for those over 400 ft. The homing data indicate that homing takes place only from regions already familiar to the lizard, and that the lizards, therefore, know a much larger area than trapping data indicate. These results are discussed in view of other field studies of Uta stansburiana stejnegeri and of home-range con- siderations in general. Seventeen juvenile movements which were much longer than any adult movements were recorded and these are inter- preted as a dispersal mechanism for the species. Eggs hatch during July- September and hatchlings usually mature the same year. During the time of the peak occurrence of juveniles (August-September) very few adults are captured. Males become active earlier in the year than females.