 Range in California: Green
Click the map for a guide
to the other subspecies
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Adult, San Diego County |
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Adult, San Diego County |
Adult, San Diego County |
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Adult, Los Angeles County |
Adult, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County. © Mike Ryan |
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Mating adults, Baja California |
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Habitat |
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Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, eastern San Diego County
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Habitat, 3000 ft., San Diego County |
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Habitat, Riverside County |
Habitat, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County |
Habitat, San Gabriel Mountains Los Angeles County
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Coastal habitat, San Diego County |
Whiptail Tracks in sand |
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| Description |
| Size |
| Aspidoscelis tigris as a species is 2 3/8 - 5 inches inches long snout to vent (6 - 12.7 cm), up to around 13 inches (33 cm) total length. |
| Appearance |
Slim-bodied with a long slender tail, a thin snout, and large symmetrical head plates.
The back and sides are grey, tan, or brown, marked with dark spots or bars or mottling, which is often very sharply defined. Dark marks on the side don't form vertical bars. Usually 8 poorly-defined light brown stripes are present, but stripes on the side are less well-defined. The throat is pale with with large black spots.
The belly is made of large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows. Often there are reddish patches on the sides of the belly.
Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled.
The tail can reach up to two times the length of the body. The tail tip is dark or bluish, and bright blue on juveniles.
Juveniles have fairly well-defined stripes. In the San Diego area, juveniles are spotted. |
| Behavior |
| Diurnal. Wary and very active, moving with abrupt stops and starts, side-to-side head movement, and tongue flicking. Often seen digging rapidly when foraging. Difficult to approach - typically foraging near cover, and capable of quick bursts of speed into heavy brush or holes. |
| Diet |
| Small invertebrates, especially spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and termites, and small lizards. |
| Reproduction |
| Eggs are laid from April to August. |
| Range |
This subspecies is found in coastal Southern California, mostly west of the Peninsular Ranges and south of the Transverse Ranges, and north into Ventura County. Ranges south into Baja California.
The species (Aspidoscelis tigris) ranges from Northcentral Oregon and southern Idaho, south through California and Nevada to Baja California, and east into Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. Sea level to 7,000 ft. (2,130 m). |
| Habitat |
| Found in a variety of ecosystems, primarily hot and dry open areas with sparse foliage - chaparral, woodland, and riparian areas. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Formerly placed in the genus Cnemidophorus. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| This lizard inhabits habitats in coastal southern California which have been altered and fragmented by development. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Teiidae |
Whiptails and Racerunners |
| Genus |
Aspidoscelis |
Whiptails (formerly Cnemidophorus) |
| Species |
tigris |
Tiger Whiptail |
Subspecies
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stejnegeri |
Coastal Whiptail |
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Original Description |
Cnemidophorus tigris - Baird and Girard, 1852 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 6, p. 69
Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus - Cope, "1892" 1893 - Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., Vol. 17, p. 38
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
(Cnemidophorus - Gr. knemidos greaves and Gr. phoros wearing - refers to the large scales on forelegs)
Aspidoscelis - shield leg
tigris - Latin - of a tiger - refers to the dorsal pattern
stejnegeri - prob. honors Stejneger, Leonhard
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus
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Related or Similar California Lizards |
Great Basin Whiptail - A. t. tigris
California Whiptail - A. t. munda
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.
Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.
Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
None |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G5T3T4S2S3 |
Secure |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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None |
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Range in California: Green 
