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Greenberg 
raised its head, revealing its signal blue 
color, the subordinate lowered its head in 
apparent submission. In other species also, 
dominant lizards characteristically elevate 
their heads when aroused, and subordinate 
lizards lower their heads to the substrate 
(Carpenter 1967:99). These are the same 
patterns seen in lizards when exploring or 
when making themselves inconspicuous. 
Or consider the origin of the profile 
changes of an aggressive lizard in terms of 
thermoregulation — the expansion of the sur- 
face area of the body and hence the solar 
interface. Phrynosoma (Milne and Milne, 
1950), Uma (Carpenter, 1963), Amphibo- 
lorus barbatus (Brattstrom, 1971), and 
Leiolepus belli (Regal, personal communica- 
tion) use a similar kind of posture in thermo- 
regulation as in a show of aggression. 
The tail-lashing “attention-getting” of the 
female blue spiny lizard is remarkably like 
that of the tail-to-side reflex in mating (Fig. 
14). It recalls the “rejection” movements of 
Sceloporus undulatus (Carpenter, 1962), the 
tail lashing of “excited” Amphibolorus 
(Mayhew, 1963a), and the stalking of Anolis 
lizards (Ruibal, 1967; Jenssen, 1970a). How 
are such motor patterns brought under more 
and more specific stimulus control? 
Might the tail-in-the-mouth minuet of the 
blue spiny lizard (Fig. 15) be related to the 
Figure 14. The tail-lash pattern of the female 
blue spiny lizard. 
Figure 16. The tail-grip courtship ritual of the blue spiny lizard. 
