Urosaurus nigricauda
Silhouette: Gopal Murali · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Urosaurus nigricauda is a species of lizard. Common names for this species include the Baja California brush lizard, black-tailed brush lizard, and small-scaled tree lizard. Its range includes southern California, Baja California, and nearby Pacific islands.
Until 1999, the small-scaled lizard, Urosaurus microscutata, was considered a discrete species. U. microscutata has since been identified as the same species, and a synonym of U. nigricauda. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Small-scaled Lizard sighting in Bahía de Loreto National Park on a given day, based on 91 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and August–September
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Small-scaled Lizard in Bahía de Loreto National Park on a given day, against about 20% in March, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small-scaled Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Small-scaled Lizard sightings, Bahía de Loreto National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 30%) and El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Phrynosomatidae
The closest relatives of the Small-scaled Lizard that you can see in Bahía de Loreto National Park (family Phrynosomatidae, Phrynosomatid Lizards) are Common Side-blotched Lizard (about 40%), Zebra-tailed Lizard (about 40%) and Baja California Spiny Lizard (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small-scaled Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bahía de Loreto National Park (91 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
