Common Spotted Whiptail

Common Spotted Whiptail

Aspidoscelis gularis

Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at San Antonio

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

68 Verified sightings at San Antonio
105 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Spotted Whiptail

The Texas spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis) is a species of long-tailed lizard, in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to the south central and southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Six subspecies are recognized as being valid.

A. gularis is found in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Campeche, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.

The Texas spotted whiptail grows to 6.5 to 11 inches (17 to 28 cm) in total length (including tail). It is typically a tan brown or green-brown in color, with a pattern of seven distinct grey or white stripes that run the length of the body, and stop at the tail, with light colored spots along the sides. The underside is uniformly white in color. Males often have a red-colored throat, blue belly, and black or blue patches on the chest, while females have only a pink-colored throat. The tail is long compared to the body, usually close to three times the body length. The tail is usually a uniform peach or tan color.

A. gularis is diurnal and insectivorous... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
2 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 León 🇲🇽 México
~20%
3 San Luis Potosí 🇲🇽 México
~10%
4 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
~10%
7 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
8 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Closest Relatives at San Antonio

No species of the same family or order lives in San Antonio, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Spotted Whiptail in San Antonio?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spotted Whiptail sighting in San Antonio on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 33 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Spotted Whiptail in San Antonio?

April–July and September–October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spotted Whiptail in San Antonio on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Common Spotted Whiptail?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Spotted Whiptail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Antonio the best place to see a Common Spotted Whiptail?

5th of 8

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Common Spotted Whiptail sightings, San Antonio ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 30%), León (México, about 20%) and San Luis Potosí (México, about 10%).

Where does the Common Spotted Whiptail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Spotted Whiptail is recorded against all the reptiles logged in San Antonio (68 verified sightings), 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.

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