Aspidoscelis exsanguis
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis) is a species of lizard native to the United States in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico in northern Chihuahua and northern Sonora.
The species is believed to be the result of extensive hybridization between the little striped whiptail, Aspidoscelis inornatus, the plateau spotted whiptail, Aspidoscelis septemvittatus, and the western Mexico whiptail, Aspidoscelis costatus. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenetic.
The Chihuahuan spotted whiptail grows from 9.5 to 12 inches in length. It is typically a reddish-brown in color, with six lighter colored stripes that run the length of the body, with spotting between the stripes. The underside is white or sometimes pale blue. It is slender-bodied with a tail nearly three times its body length.
Like most whiptailed lizards, the Chihuahua spotted whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. This species can be found in many kinds of mostly arid habitat, including desert, desert grassland, dry basin forests, and oak, pine, and juniper woodland, where it lives in washes and canyons. It digs holes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 48 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July–August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months. Those are among Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in April.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 50%).
Same genus: Aspidoscelis
The closest relatives of the Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail that you can see in Big Bend National Park (genus Aspidoscelis, Northern Whiptails) are Plateau Spotted Whiptail (about 40%), Marbled Whiptail (about 30%) and Diploid Checkered Whiptail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Bend National Park (14 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.
