The desert dwelling reptiles grow on average from one to three feet in length with a tail comprising approximately one-third of that length. They typically weigh between five and ten pounds.
Their scaled epidermis is a reddish-brown, speckled with orange. Their underbelly is a lighter reddish-brown and it is lacking the orange spots. This is used to blend into the rocks. They also have yellow lines around their nostrils and eyes, creating the illusion of having two sets of eyes.
The salt lizard is omnivorous an subsists on a diet of small rodents, eggs, other reptiles, insects, and the various shrubs. It is some of the shrubs that contribute to the toxicity of its skin.
Salt lizards are solitary, diurnal animals, usually roaming their territory searching for food. They are not overly aggressive, however, they will defend their territory from other salt lizards.
The mating season for the salt lizard is in early Aderfod.
The mating process usually begins by the males digging a hole in the sand and moving rocks into a ring around it, effectively building a nest. The females will seek out the best nests in which to lay their eggs. After laying a clutch of between six and twelve eggs, she will leave. The male then fertilizes the eggs and covers them in sand. The eggs will remain in the hole until they hatch, or are dug up by a predator, which is usually within six or seven months.
The salt lizard is quite toxic. It absorbs toxins from various plants that it eats. The toxins are deposited into a thick mucus that the salt lizard excretes when threatened. This mucus is located in two sacs located on either side of its tail and in two sacs just below the lungs.
In small doses, the toxin causes mild hallucinations, irritability, night terrors, and cottonmouth for between two and four hours. In higher doses, the previous effects are greatly enhanced and accompanied by extreme paranoia. At these doses, it is fatal. The survival at the higher doses is generally between twelve and thirty-six hours, meaning, that while there is a good deal of time to obtain an antidote, it may be difficult to find and the effects of the toxin last until the final few hours when the victim enters a coma.