by Alex Gugel , all rights reserved
![]() | ZionReptiles and Amphibians |
Brochure of Reptiles and Amphibians at Zion National Park (NP) in Utah. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
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covered parks
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Zion
Zion National Park
Reptiles and Amphibians
Terrestrial Gartersnake and Canyon Treefrog
Key to this guide
Measurements: Measurements are from snout
to vent for amphibians and lizards (tail length
not included).
† Threatened or endangered species.
Western Chuckwalla
Amphibians
Tiger Salamander - Ambystoma tigrinum: 3-6.5”
large stocky salamander. Yellow to dark olive spots/
blotches with irregular edges on dark ground color.
Great Basin Spadefoot - Spea intermontanus:
1.5-2.5” hourglass marking of gray or olive on back
set off by ash-gray streaks. Pupils are vertical. Spade
on hind foot wedge-shaped.
Arizona Toad - Bufo microscaphus: 2-3.25”
green-gray, brown colored with light V-shaped
stripe across head. Warts red to brown (also called
Southwestern Toad).
Red-spotted Toad - Bufo punctatus: 1.5-3” small
toad with flattened head and pointed snout; Light
gray to reddish brown with red/orange warts.
Woodhouse’s Toad - Bufo woodhousii: 1.25-5”
gray, brown, or olive above with whitish dorsal stripe
down middle of back; warts light. Unconfirmed
native - Please report sightings; photos helpful.
Canyon Treefrog - Hyla arenicolor: 1.25-2.25”;
brown, gray, or olive frog, normally without eyestripe; very faint pattern of dark patches on back.
Suction discs on toes.
Northern Leopard Frog - Rana pipiens: 2-4.4”;
greenish/brown frog with well defined rounded pale
bordered, dark spots; white stripe on upper jaw.
Canyon Treefrog
Lizards
Collared Lizard
Snakes
Great Basin Gopher Snake
Tortoise
Western Banded Gecko - Coleonyx variegatus:
2-3”; fragile appearance, large eyes with vertical
pupils, cream colored with dark crossbands.
Common Chuckwalla - Sauromalus ater: 5.5-8”;
large, flat, dark bodied. Loose folds of skin on neck
and sides; may have dark or light cross bands on
body; blunt tail with broad base.
Great Basin Collared Lizard - Crotaphytus
bicinctores: 3-4.25”; tail up to twice the length of
the body; two black bands on shoulder and neck;
overall color is olive-brown to green.
Long-nosed Leopard Lizard - Gambelia wislizenii: 3.25-5.75”; gray-brown color with dusky
brown spots; whitish lines across back and tail.
Gravid (pregnant) females have bright orange spots.
Zebra-tailed Lizard - Callisaurus draconoides:
2.5-4”; ear openings present. Underside of tail with
black bars. Belly markings at midpoint of body.
Desert Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus magister: 3.255.5”; stout, strong looking lizard; gray to brown
mottled with yellow, green, brown, and metallic
blue; black shoulder markings.
Plateau Lizard - Sceloporus tristichus: 1.6-3.25”;
Plain gray to brown with yellow to green blotches;
may be some blue on throat. One of the most
frequently seen lizards in Zion. (Note: taxonomy
is unstable; sometimes listed as a subspecies of
Sceloporus elongatus.)
Common Sagebrush Lizard - Sceloporus graciosus: 1.8-2.6”; very similar to plateau lizard but
slightly smaller and darker.
Side-blotched Lizard - Uta stansburiana:
1.5-2.3”; overall gray to brown color with black
“armpit.” In spring, males with variable flecking on
sides and back.
Ornate Tree Lizard - Urosaurus ornatus: 1.52.25”; gray to brown overall with strip of enlarged
scales down center of back.
Desert Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma platyrhinos: 2.5-3.75”; similar to short-horned but has long
head spines and is found at low elevations.
Greater Short-horned Lizard - Phrynosoma
hernandesi: 1.75-4.25”; broad, flat body; short tail;
short horns or spine on back of head; irregular dark
and light markings; high elevation.
Western Skink - Eumeces skiltonianus: 2.1-3.75”;
body long and rounded; shiny appearance; body
cream to light brown with dark stripe down each
side and lighter stripe down back; tail bright blue in
young, fading with age.
Plateau Spotted Whiptail - Cnemidophorus
innotatus: 2.5-3.5”; slender body; tail about twice
the length of the body; well defined dark and light
stripes down back.
Western Whiptail - Cnemidophorus tigris: 2.254.5”; very long and streamlined; generally gray to
brown with mottled black or brown blotches on
back and sides; adults with orange tent on lower
back and base of tail; tail about twice the length of
the body.
Gila Monster - Heloderma suspectum: 9-14”;
swollen, dorsal bead-like tail. Gaudy pattern of
pink, black, orange, and yellow.
Ring-necked Snake - Diadophis punctatus:
8-30”; olive above; yellow-orange below; no ring
around neck.
Coachwhip - Masticophis flagellum: 36-72”;
slender; pinkish (may be tan/light brown) with faint
crossbands down back, those on neck much darker.
Striped Whipsnake - Masticophis taeniatus:
36-72”; slender; black to brown back with four narrow stripes running length of body.
Western Patch-nosed Snake - Salvadora hexalepis: 20-46”; light tan/ground colored with wide
brown-black stripe running length of each side.
Gophersnake - Pituophis catenifer: 36-72”;
yellow-gray to red-brown; dark brown-black
blotches down back; dark line from eye to eye.
Common Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula:
30-60”; black and white bands circle entire length
of snake.
Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake - Lampropeltis
pyromelana: 18-41”; black, cream, and coral-pink
bands down length of body; thin band of blackcream-black separates each pink band.
Terrestrial Gartersnake - Thamnophis elegans:
18-30”; gray-green overall with light yellow lines
along top and each side.
Groundsnake - Sonora semiannulata: 8-18”; red
and black bands on back fade into yellow sides.
Smith’s Black-headed Snake - Tantilla hobartsmithi: 5.5-15”; plain brown or beige above with dark
brown or black head. Unconfirmed resident; report
sightings, photos helpful.
Western Lyresnake - Trimorphodon biscutatus:
18-47.75”; gray with brown blotches edged in black
on upperparts; lyre-shaped pattern on top of head.
Nightsnake - Hypsiglena torquata: 12-26”; gray to
tan with brown spots on back and dark blotch on
each side of neck.
Western Rattlesnake - Crotalus oreganus: 15-65”;
generally gray to brown with dark hexagonal patches
down back; wide, flat head and rattle on tail.
† Desert Tortoise - Gopherus agassizii: 8-15”; high
domed shell with prominent growth lines on shields;
elephant-like limbs.
Desert Tortoise
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