Lizards in Arizona

Over 50 lizard species make their home in the state of Arizona. Arizona contains both dry deserts and temperate forests, allowing for a diverse variety of lizards to live there.

The only poisonous lizard native to the United States – the Gila monster – lives in Arizona. However, it is a slow lizard and is more likely to flee if an encounter with a human takes place.

Lizards in Arizona

Lizards of Arizona

Tree Lizards

  • Long-tailed Brush Lizard
  • Ornate Tree Lizard

Side-blotched Lizards

  • Common Side-Blotched Lizard

Spiny Lizards

  • Clark’s Spiny Lizard
  • Desert Spiny Lizard
  • Plateau Fence Lizard
  • Sagebrush Lizard
  • Slevin’s Bunchgrass Lizard
  • Southwestern Fence Lizard
  • Striped Plateau Lizard
  • Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard
  • Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard
  • Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard

Zebra-tailed Lizards

  • Zebra-tailed Lizard

Horned Lizards

  • Desert Horned Lizard
  • Flat-tail Horned Lizard
  • Greater Short-horned Lizard
  • Regal Horned Lizard
  • Roundtail Horned Lizard
  • Sonoran Horned Lizard
  • Texas Horned Lizard

Whiptail Lizards

  • Arizona Striped Whiptail
  • Canyon Spotted Whiptail
  • Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail
  • Desert Grassland Whiptail
  • Giant Spotted Whiptail
  • Gila Spotted Whiptail
  • Little Striped Whiptail
  • New Mexico Whiptail
  • Pai Striped Whiptail
  • Plateau Striped Whiptail
  • Red-backed Whiptail
  • Sonoran Spotted Whiptail
  • Western Whiptail

Gila Monsters

  • Gila Monster

Greater Earless Lizards

  • Greater Earless Lizard

Geckoes

  • Keeled Rock Gecko
  • Mediterranean House Gecko
  • Western Banded Gecko

Chuckwallas

  • Common Chuckwalla

Collared Lizards

  • Eastern Collared Lizard
  • Great Basin Collared Lizard
  • Sonoran Collared Lizard

Western Alligator Lizards

  • Madrean Alligator Lizard

Iguanas

Leopard Lizards

  • Long-nosed Leopard Lizard

Elegant Earless Lizards

  • Elegant Earless Lizard
  • Lesser Earless Lizard

Fringe-toed Lizards

  • Mohave Fringe-toed Lizard
  • Mohawk Dunes Fringe-toed Lizard
  • Yuman Fringe-toed Lizard

Skinks

  • Gilbert’s Skink
  • Great Plains Skink
  • Many-lined Skink
  • Mountain Skink
  • Western Skink

Night Lizards

  • Arizona Night Lizard
  • Bezy’s Night Lizard
  • Desert Night Lizard

Most Common Lizard: Common side-blotched lizard

Large Lizards: Regal horned lizard, Gila monster, common chuckwalla

Small Lizards: Arizona night lizard, sagebrush lizard

FAQs

1. Which Arizona lizards do “push-ups”?

Desert spiny lizards, several tree lizard species, and some iguanas have been observed to engage in behavior like a human doing push-ups. This may be an attempt by the lizard to protect its territory and show off to a potential mate.

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