Lizards

Seven families of lizards are native to Arizona. Many can be found throughout Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments during the hotter months of the year. The most common lizards in either monument will be Whiptails and Desert Spiny Lizards. Please do not pick up or harass any lizard you may find.

 

Collared Lizard

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Daniel Schwen

Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)

Found from Arizona Upland Desert scrub through Great Basin Conifer Woodland. Often seen basking atop large rocks. Like other lizards, it is territorial, aggressive, and bites hard when captured. It uses its powerful jaws to capture lizards, insects, and spiders.

 

Desert Spiny Lizard

iNaturalist
Carita Bergman

Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister)

Often seen on trees, packrate nests, woodpiles, fences, and rock piles. The Desert Spiny Lizard is a large, heavy-bodied lizard with large, keeled, pointed, overlapping scales. When encountered, it will often flee into a crevice or to the opposite side of the tree trunk. While its active during the day, it can be seen hunting ants, beetles, caterpillars, and other insects.

 

Gila Monster

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Alan Schmierer

Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)

This lizard is the largest native lizard in the United States and a member of the only family of venomous lizards in the world. Gila Monsters are generally found in central and southeastern Arizona. They are an efficient nest raiders feeding on eggs of birds and reptiles. Males agressively fight each other for access to females in matches that can last for several hours. Gila Monsters are the first venomous reptile to be protected in the United States, it is illegal to handle, collect, or kill them through its entire range in the United States and Mexico. According to IUCN Red List, they are Near Threatened.

 

Greater Earless Lizard

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Patrick Alexander

Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus texanus)

Often seen in relatively flat, open, and sparsely vegetated areas with sandy or gravelly soil. This lizard is a dirunal ground dweller that is most active in mornings and evenings during the hotter months and active all day during springs and early fall. They eat insects, spiders, and hatchling lizards. Easily confused with the Elegant Earless Lizard.

 

Ornate Tree Lizard

NPS Photo

Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

Found in Arizona's biotic communities from the low deserts through Petran Montane Conifer Forest. Commonly observed on urban walls, fences, and building exteriors. Natural habitat includes trees, boulders, cliff faces, and rock outcroppings. These lizards mostly eat insects and spiders.

 

Whiptail Lizard

Kate Hamedani

Whiptail Lizard (Genus Aspidoscelis)

There are many different spiecies of whiptails and almost all will be females, hatchings are clones of their mother. Whiptails are a medium sized lizard that can be found in desertscrub communities, Semidesert Grassland, and lower reaches of Interior Chaparral. It occupies a wide variety of habitats including wind blown sand dunes, Creosote bush flats, rocky hillsides, and canyons.