Alligator Lizard Eggs: Breeding, Nesting and Hatchlings

Alligator lizard eggs are the clearest way to tell the two common North American alligator lizards apart. The southern alligator lizard, Elgaria multicarinata, is oviparous. Females dig a nest and lay a clutch of soft, leathery eggs that finish developing outside the body.

The northern alligator lizard, Elgaria coerulea, is viviparous. It skips eggs entirely and gives birth to fully formed young. Both belong to the genus Elgaria in the family Anguidae.

Both are wild native reptiles, distinct from the Texas alligator lizard and the Mexican alligator lizard further south. This guide covers when alligator lizards breed, how many eggs a southern female lays, and how long incubation takes.

It also covers where the nest is hidden and what to do if eggs or a hatchling turn up in your yard. For everyday husbandry once young are grown, see the main alligator lizard care guide.

Do alligator lizards lay eggs

Only the southern alligator lizard lays true eggs. A female digs a shallow nest in loose soil, an old gopher burrow, or a stable talus pile. She deposits one clutch, then leaves.

There is no further parental care after laying. The northern alligator lizard retains its eggs internally instead and gives birth to live, independent young. This split is the most reliable way to tell the two species apart.

The dividing line generally tracks climate.

Southern alligator lizards live in warmer, lower elevation habitat from Washington through Oregon and California into northern Baja California. There the soil stays warm enough for eggs to finish developing underground.

Northern alligator lizards range into cooler, higher elevation country, up into British Columbia. Basking lets the female regulate her own temperature, and in turn the temperature of her young. See the alligator lizard habitat guide for range detail on both species.

Alligator lizard breeding season

Alligator lizard breeding season starts soon after lizards wake from winter dormancy. For the southern alligator lizard, courtship and mating typically begin in early April, once daytime temperatures allow steady basking. Males often bite and hold a female by the neck or jaw while courting.

That grip during courtship can leave both sexes more prone to tail loss for the rest of the season. Egg laying follows mating by several weeks, not days.

In southern California, the first clutch of a season is commonly laid in early June. A female able to produce a second or third clutch lays it later in the summer. Further north, cooler spring weather can push both mating and laying dates later in the year.

Clutch size and egg laying

A southern alligator lizard clutch typically holds around a dozen eggs. The exact count varies with the size of the female. Larger, older females tend to lay more eggs, and their eggs run larger individually too.

A female in good condition can lay more than one clutch in a season. Two clutches are common; some females manage three before summer ends.

A female picks a nest site with stable moisture and moderate warmth. Eggs that dry out or overheat will not develop.

A burrow abandoned by a pocket gopher offers both qualities at once. That is why gopher burrows turn up so often as nest sites, alongside loose garden soil and gaps in stacked rock.

How long do alligator lizard eggs take to hatch

Southern alligator lizard eggs take roughly eleven weeks to hatch once laid. That is a little over two and a half months underground, with no attention from either parent.

Eggs laid in early June line up with hatchlings emerging from September into October. That timing comes from field data on Oregon populations at the cooler edge of the range.

Incubation length in ground nesting reptiles tracks soil temperature closely. A warmer, sunnier nest can shorten the wait. A shaded or unusually cool spot can stretch it.

Nobody defends the nest during this stretch. Survival to hatching depends almost entirely on the site the mother chose, not on anything she does afterward.

What an alligator lizard baby looks like

An alligator lizard baby, hatched or born live, looks like a small adult from the start. It shares the same long body, short legs and thick tail as a grown lizard. Its coloring differs, though: young alligator lizards tend to show a plainer brownish or reddish back, without the sharper pattern that develops with age.

A baby alligator lizard is independent immediately. There is no nest guarding and no feeding by a parent. It has to find cover, avoid predators and start hunting the small insects and invertebrates that make up an alligator lizard’s diet right away.

Northern alligator lizard live birth

Live birth sets the northern alligator lizard apart from most other native lizards sharing its range. Instead of a nest, the female carries developing young inside her through the warmer months. She uses basking to keep her own body, and so her embryos, at a workable temperature.

That matters where summer soil would run too cool for buried eggs to finish developing reliably. It lets the northern alligator lizard push into cooler, higher and more northerly country than its egg laying relative can reliably reach.

Live birth removes the risk that a clutch of buried eggs never warms enough to hatch. The tradeoff is that the female carries the physical load of pregnancy through the active season instead of laying eggs and moving on.

The numbers come from state wildlife records in Washington and Montana. Mating runs April to May, gestation lasts about three months, and the young are born in August and September. Broods hold 2 to 15 young, typically 3 to 6 and averaging about four.

Newborns measure 2 to 3 centimeters snout to vent, against 7 to 10 centimeters for an adult. Females do not breed until 32 to 44 months old. That slow start is why a single lost female matters more to a local population than her small brood size suggests.

Alligator lizard eggs in a yard

A gardener who turns over soil, moves a stack of pavers, or clears an old rodent burrow in late spring or summer can uncover a hidden clutch. These are alligator lizard eggs more often than people expect.

The eggs are soft, leathery and roughly oval. They are usually clustered together, buried just below the surface, in loose damp soil or a gap in stacked rock.

• Leave the eggs undisturbed in place whenever possible.
• If yard work exposes them by accident, gently recover them with the same soil at the same depth, and avoid rotating them.
• Do not incubate wild eggs indoors. A wild female chose that spot for a reason, and moving native eggs raises welfare and, in many states, legal concerns.
• If a baby alligator lizard turns up on its own, let it move on. It does not need rescuing.

Law and welfare

Alligator lizards are wild native reptiles, not a captive bred pet trade animal. Rules on collecting or keeping them vary by state.

Some states allow limited personal collection of common native reptiles under a license with set bag limits. Others restrict or prohibit taking native lizards outright, especially from protected land.

These rules differ by state and by land ownership, and they change over time. Check current regulations directly with your state wildlife agency before disturbing a nest, collecting eggs, or keeping a wild caught alligator lizard. This guide will not describe ways around those rules.

The simplest, most welfare minded choice with a wild clutch of eggs or a wild hatchling is to leave it where it is. Alligator lizards fill a useful role as insect predators in gardens and wild habitat alike. Removing eggs or animals from the wild can carry legal penalties on top of the harm it does to a wild population.

For how long a wild animal can live, see the general lizard lifespan guide.

Adult size, covered fully in the alligator lizard size guide, is reached long after this early stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many eggs does an alligator lizard lay?

A southern alligator lizard typically lays around a dozen eggs per clutch. Larger, older females produce more eggs and bigger eggs than smaller ones. A female in good condition may lay two or even three clutches across one breeding season.

How long do alligator lizard eggs take to hatch?

Southern alligator lizard eggs take roughly eleven weeks to hatch after laying. Eggs laid in early June line up with hatchlings appearing from September into October. That is based on field observations at the cooler edge of the species’ range.

Do all alligator lizards lay eggs?

No, only the southern alligator lizard lays eggs. The northern alligator lizard is viviparous and gives birth to 2 to 15 live young, typically 3 to 6, in August or September. The split tracks climate: live birth suits the cooler, higher elevation habitat where buried eggs might never warm enough to hatch.

What does an alligator lizard baby look like?

A newly hatched or newly born alligator lizard baby looks like a miniature adult. It shares the same long body, short legs and thick tail. Its coloring is plainer, in brownish or reddish tones, before a sharper adult pattern develops.

What should I do if I find alligator lizard eggs in my yard?

Leave the eggs in place undisturbed whenever possible, since a wild female chose that exact spot for its moisture and warmth. If yard work exposes them by accident, gently recover them with the original soil instead of moving or incubating them indoors.

Is it legal to collect wild alligator lizard eggs or lizards?

Rules on collecting native reptiles vary by state and can change. Check current regulations with your state wildlife agency before collecting eggs or keeping a wild alligator lizard. Leaving wild eggs and animals in place is the simplest and safest choice.