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Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Sauria

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Anguidae—Alligator Lizards // Anniellidae—North American Legless Lizards // Crotaphytidae—Collared and Leopard Lizards // Eublepharidae—Geckos // Helodermatidae—Gila Monster // Iguanidae—Iguanas // Phrynosomatidae—Spiny Lizards // Scincidae—Skinks // Teiidae—Whiptails // Xantusiidae—Night Lizards

Suborder Sauria—Lizards

As used here, all the lizards are included within the suborder. The Southwest is rich in both modern and, thanks to plentiful remains in caves, fossil lizard faunas. Most of our regional lizards are diurnal, introducing a bias in cave faunas since the most prolific suppliers of fossil faunas in caves, the owls, have little chance to harvest saurian prey. Thus, most fossil lizard remains in the region probably come from deaths in the immediate vicinity of the deposits or from diurnal falconiform birds and small predatory mammals.

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Last Update: 20 Aug 2014