Key to this guide 

Reptiles and Amphibians 

Zion National Park Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Zion National Park 

Terrestrial Gartersnake and Canyon Treefrog 

Measurements: Measurements are from snout 

to vent for amphibians and lizards (tail length 

not included). 

† Threatened or endangered species. 

 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” 

Western Chuckwalla 

Amphibians 

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. Unconfi rmed 

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 

 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: 3.25-

5.5”; 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 fl ecking on 

sides and back. 

 Ornate Tree Lizard - Urosaurus ornatus: 1.5-

2.25”; 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: 2.25-

4.5”; 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. 

Snakes  Ring-necked Snake - Diadophis punctatus: 

8-30”; olive above; yellow-orange below; no ring 

around neck. 

 Coachwhip - Masticophis fl agellum: 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 blackGreat Basin Gopher Snake cream-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. 

Tortoise  †Desert Tortoise - Gopherus agassizii: 8-15”; high 

domed shell with prominent growth lines on shields; 

elephant-like limbs. 

Desert Tortoise 

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