Crotaphytus collaris
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The common collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), also commonly called eastern collared lizard, Oklahoma collared lizard, mountain boomer, yellow-headed collared lizard, and collared lizard, is a North American species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The common name "collared lizard" comes from the lizard's distinct coloration, which includes bands of black around the neck and shoulders that look like a collar. Males can be very colorful, with blue-green bodies, yellow stripes on the tail and back, and yellow-orange throats. Five subspecies are recognized.
The subspecific name, baileyi, is in honor of American mammalogist Vernon Orlando Bailey. The five subspecies recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies, are: Crotaphytus collaris auriceps Fitch & W. Tanner, 1951 – yellow-headed collared lizard
C. collaris fuscus W. Ingram & W. Tanner, 1971 – Chihuahuan collared lizard Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
No species of the same family or order lives in Big Bend National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Collared Lizard sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 59 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 48 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Collared Lizard in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Big Bend National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in September.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Collared 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 5 parks where we can rate Eastern Collared Lizard sightings, Big Bend National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 20%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Collared Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Bend National Park (59 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.
