2003 37c Reptiles & Amphibians: Reticulate Collared Lizard

U.S. #3816
37¢ Reticulate Collared Lizard
Reptiles & Amphibians
Issue Date: October 7, 2003
City: San Diego, CA
Quantity: 700,000,000
Printed By: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11
Color: Multicolored

This stamp was issued as part of a set of five stamps picturing reptiles and amphibians found across the United States, released at a time when many species in these groups faced growing pressure from habitat loss and environmental change. Amphibians in particular were noted as especially vulnerable, since their porous skin makes them highly sensitive to pollutants in their surrounding environment. The set aimed to draw attention to these often overlooked animals through colorful, detailed stamp art.

The reticulate collared lizard makes its home in the semi-desert brush country of the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, a landscape of scattered thornscrub and rocky outcrops well suited to the lizard's need for both cover and open basking sites. Its name comes from the fine, net-like pattern of markings covering its body, along with the distinctive banded collar found around its neck, a feature shared with other collared lizard species found across the American Southwest. Despite its striking appearance, the lizard tends to be notably shy and elusive, often retreating quickly at the first sign of a potential threat.

Collared lizards are known for their speed and agility, capable of sprinting across open ground and even rising up to run briefly on their hind legs when moving at full speed. The reticulate collared lizard relies on this quickness to escape predators and to chase down the insects and smaller lizards that make up much of its diet. Confined to a relatively narrow range along the Rio Grande, the species offers a glimpse of the specialized wildlife adapted to the harsh, arid brush country found along the Texas borderlands.