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Mojave fringe-toed lizards have numerous traits tailored to their sand-dwelling lifestyle. Foremost are the lizards’ scaly hind toes, which resemble snowshoes and keep them from sinking as they sprint away from predators. Top Mojave fringe-toed lizard speeds have been clocked at 23 miles per hour — no small feat on loose, windblown sand dunes. These lizards plunge into the sand to hide from enemies, yet there they lie most vulnerable, still within reach of off-road vehicles’ sand-digging tires.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE
PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed
PETITIONED: 2006 (Amargosa River population)
RANGE: The Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southern California and extending into a small area of western Arizona
THREATS: R ecreational off-road vehicles, habitat loss from urban development and agriculture, toxins from nearby military operations, air pollution, global warming, non-native invasive plant species, and pesticides
POPULATION TREND: Off-road vehicle traffic has more than tripled at California’s Dumont Dunes since 1999, leaving the Amargosa River population in serious peril. More than 130,000 off-road riders visited the dunes in 2006, further precipitating sharp declines in the number of Mojave fringe-toed lizards.
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SAVING THE MOJAVE FRINGE-TOED LIZARD
Tucked in the corner of San Bernardino County, California, the Dumont Dunes formed nearly 20,000 years ago when regional lakebeds began to dry. Left behind was plenty of blowing sand as well as a medium-sized lizard that would call these dunes home. Today, the Dumont Dunes recreation area attracts more than 130,000 off-road riders annually. The number of off-road vehicles trampling this sensitive area continues to climb, presenting a substantial threat to the Mojave fringe-toed lizard and its habitat.
The Amargosa River population of Mojave fringe-toed lizards occupies three dune ecosystems in and adjacent to Death Valley National Park, the largest of which is the Dumont Dunes. In an effort to prevent continued habitat destruction from rampant and uncontrolled use of off-road vehicles, the Center petitioned to protect this Mojave fringe-toed lizard population as endangered in 2006.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded to our petition with a positive finding that Endangered Species Act protection might be warranted. Waiting for the agency to conduct a one-year status review of the species in 2008, we submitted public comments in support of the Mojave fringe-toed lizard being granted full protection.
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Contact: Noah Greenwald
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