Most dry-climate lizards spend the majority of their active time stationary, waiting for prey to come within range. Prey is usually detected visually. Prey may be detected visually or by smell. This strategy is known as widely ranging predation. Whiptails divide their foraging time between open areas in full sun and the shade beneath bushes according to their temperature requirements.
Whiptails seem to travel faster when in the open, relying primarily on vision to detect prey.
When under bushes, they typically move slower, scratching and digging with their forefeet into the leaf litter, apparently detecting prey as much by smell as by sight. The principal dietary item of dry climate whiptails is termites, although beetles and beetle larvae, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ant lions, leafhoppers, and arachnids are also taken. They also are typically active for fewer days per year. Activity is reported to occur for only about 4 months per year. In other words, they find more to eat by actively hunting for it, yet take far less time to do it.