Alligator lizard continues to adapt, thrive

Despite its common name, Elgaria coerulea is of no relation to the alligator. This reptile is a member of the Anguidae family, a diverse group of lizards common throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The northern alligator lizard itself only exists along the forests, woodlands and grasslands of the western coast of North America, from California, through Oregon, and Washington, as far east as northern Idaho and Montana, and as far north as southern Canada. This genus is one of only five lizard species native to Canada.