Reptiles

Featured Species

• 

  Desert Tortoise

  Seldom seen, these tortoises are a rare find in Death Valley!

• 

  Sidewinder

  Named for how they move, this snake is supremely adapted to the extremes of the desert.

 

Reptiles in Death Valley National Park

• Desert tortoise
  Gopherus agassizii
  Threatened. Found in the flats and foothills from 1500 to 3500 feet.
• Desert banded gecko
  Coleonyx variegatus variegatus
  Nocturnal; valley floor to 3500 feet.
• Desert iguana
  Dipsosaurus dorsalis
  In and around mesquite hummocks and other similar locations with fine sandy soil; in low canyons and washes up to 3000 feet.
• Chuckwalla
  Sauromalus obesus
  Areas of large rocks and boulders on alluvial fans and in canyons; throughout Death Valley up to 5000 feet; Towne Pass, Dante's View road, Titus Canyon.
• Zebra-tailed lizard
  Callisaurus draconoides
  Sandy and gravelly areas near dunes and in washes; common on roads in morning in spring , summer, and fall.
• Mojave fringe-toed lizard
  Uma scoparia
  Found in the Ibex Dunes in Death Valley, this lizard is restricted to sandy habitats with fine to very fine grained sand. The fringe-toed lizard has specially adapted fringes on its toes that allow it to run across sand at speeds up to 10 miles per hour. This lizard can also "swim" underneath soft sand to find cooler temperatures.
• Collared lizard
  Crotaphytus bicinctores
  Among rocks in hilly areas and washes, on slopes; from 1000 to 5000 feet.
• Leopard lizard
  Gambelia wislizenii
  Valley floor to 3600 feet on alluvial fans, in canyons and washes with scattered vegetation.
• Desert spiny lizard
  Sceloporus magister magister
  Rocky slopes and canyons from 3500 to 7000 feet around vegetation.
• Great basin fence lizard
  Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus
  Rocky areas over wide elevation range; rock outcrops, canyons, near springs.
• Sagebrush lizard
  Sceloporus graciosus
  From sagebrush through pinyon-juniper up to 10,500 feet.
• Desert side-blotched lizard
  Uta stansburiana
  Throughout Death Valley below 5000 feet in gravelly and rocky areas. Active on warm days all year.
• Western brush lizard
  Urosaurus graciosus graciosus
  Low desert in and around creosote bush and mesquite.
• Southern desert horned lizard
  Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum
  Sandy, gravelly areas; low desert to over 5000 feet.
• Desert night lizard
  Xantusia vigilis vigilis
  In and near Joshua trees; under debris; near Dantes View, over 9000 feet in Panamint Mountains.
• Western skink
  Eumeces skiltonianus skiltonianus
  Moist areas with good cover in pinyon-juniper.
• Western red-tailed skink
  Eumeces gilberti rubricaudatus
  Found in isolated populations in Hanaupah and Johnson Canyons in the Panamints.
• Great basin whiptail
  Cnemidophorus tigris tigris
  Dry sandy area with sparse vegetation; rocky areas of upper washes; meaquite thickets and vegetated areas of Greenwater Valley and Harrisburg Flats.
• Panamint alligator lizard
  Elgaria panamintina
  Panamint and Grapevine Mountains above 3500 feet.
• Western blind snake
  Lepotyphlops humilis
  Nocturnal; under rocks, among roots on brush covered slopes; from below sea level to 4000 feet.
• Rosy boa
  Lichanura trivigata
  Low foothills and canyons below 4500 feet; in sandy and gravelly habitats.
• Western leaf-nosed snake
  Phyllorhyncus decurtatus perkinsi
  Nocturnal; sandy and gravelly soil; rocky foothills.
• Coachwhip (red racer)
  Masticophis flagellum piceus
  Sandy mesquite hummocks; gravelly desert; rocky foothills.
• Striped whipsnake
  Masticophis taeniatus
  Willow Creek in Black Mountains; Hunter Spring in Cottonwood Mountains.
• Desert patch-nosed snake
  Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis
  Rocky and sandy areas from lower slopes and washes up to Towne Pass
• Desert glossy snake
  Arizona elegans eburnata
  Nocturnal; in sandy or gravelly areas.
• Great basin gopher snake
  Pituophis melanoleucus deserticola
  From rock-strewn desert foothills into mountains.
• California king snake
  Lampropeltis getuls californiae
  Panamint Mountains from Emigrant Canyon to Wildrose; Daylight Pass.
• Western long-nosed snake
  Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei
  Nocturnal; Aguereberry Point, Towne Pass, Daylight Pass.
• Western ground snake
  Sonora semiannulata
  Sandy or fine gravel to over 4000 feet; Wildrose Canyon, Greenwater, Daylight Pass.
• Mojave shovel-nosed snake
  Chionactus occipitalis occipitalis
  Sandy areas in the southern half of Death Valley; frequents dunes, washes, sandy flats, and rocky hillsides where there are sandy gullies.
• Nevada shovel-nosed snake
  Chionactus occipitalis talpina
  Sandy areas in the northern half of Death Valley; frequents dunes, washes, sandy flats, and rocky hillsides where there are sandy gullies.
• Utah black-headed snake
  Tantilla planiceps utahensis
  Nocturnal; Panamint Mountains.
• California lyre snake
  Trimorphodont biscutatus vandenburghi
  Rocky areas; sea level to over 4000 feet.
• Desert night snake
  Hypsiglene torquata
  Many habitats from below sealevel to over 5000 feet.
• Panamint rattlesnake
  Crotalus mitchelli stephensi
  Below sealevel to over 7000 feet, usually in foothills and mountains.
• Mojave desert sidewinder
  Crotalus cerastes cerastes
  Nocturnal; mesquite hummocks; from below sea level to 4500 feet.
• Mojave rattlesnake
  Crotalus scutulatus
  Chiefly inhabits upland desert and mountain slopes but ranges from sea level to 8,000 feet. Considered rare in Death Valley and restricted to the southern half of the park.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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