The body of the sagebrush lizard is small and narrow. The back is covered with small spiny, keeled scales, and usually has a pale dorsolateral stripe on each side; scales on the rear of the thigh are very small and often granular. Dorsal coloration is brown, olive or gray with a bluish or greenish tinge. Ventral surfaces of females are white or yellow; males have blue lateral abdominal patches and blue mottling on the throat. Maximum snout-vent length (SVL) is about 6.5 centimeters; maximum total length is about 15 centimeters, with the tail length about 1.5 times the snout-vent length. Mature males have enlarged postanal scales with two enlarged hemipenal swellings on the underside at the base of the tail. Gravid females may develop a reddish-orange color along the sides. Hatchlings are 2.3 to 2.8 centimeters SVL; eggs are white and leathery, and 12 to 14 millimeters in length by 6 to 8 millimeters in breadth.
Amphibians are ectothermic vertebrate animals that live on both land and in water, lack scales, and produce external gelatinous eggs requiring moist conditions. Montana is home to breeding populations of almost 15 amphibian species.
Birds are endothermic vertebrate animals that possess feathers and produce external eggs. Montana is home to breeding populations of over 250 bird species. In addition, over 170 bird species visit our state during their spring and fall migration journeys.
Fish are aquatic, ectothermic animals with backbones and have fins and gills throughout life. Montana is home to breeding populations of over 85 fish species.
Invertebrates are animal species without backbones. Montana is home to breeding populations of almost 150 invertebrates, including over 120 mollusk species and over 20 crustaceans.
Mammals are endothermic vertebrate animals that possess hair and mammary glands for the production of milk for feeding offspring. Montana is home to breeding populations of over 110 mammal species.
Reptiles are ectothermic vertebrate animals that possess scales and produce external amniotic eggs with membrane and yolk sac. 17 native reptile species have been confirmed as being present in Montana.
In the late 1990s, a small group of Montanans demanded that Fish, Wildlife & Parks reduce the annual harvest of mountain lions, or cougars. They said hunters were killing too many lions, and if the department didn’t lower harvest quotas, populations in many areas would rapidly decline.
Unlikely as it might seem, the assertions did not come from antihunting groups, but rather from the lion hunters themselves (known as houndsmen for the dogs they use to chase and tree the big cats). [Full Story]
Near Lolo Pass, along Montana’s border with Idaho, a light drizzle falls on larches lining steep mountainsides. Pepin, a tall, lanky, fawn-colored dog with a dark muzzle, paces in the back of the car, panting excitedly and steaming up the windows. When his handler, Megan Parker, opens the door, he bounds out and wildly races in circles. Parker calls for the dog to sit and places an orange vest around his chest. “Go to work,” she says. [Full Story]
When the Wetzsteons decided to sell their southern Bitterroot Valley ranch, they could have made a fortune. Real estate agents regularly knocked on their door, offering a premium price for the 367 acres of timbered, rolling hills and lush pastures surrounded by scenic, snowcapped mountains. [Full Story]
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