Phrynosoma blainvillii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The San Diego horned lizard or Blainville's horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to southern and central California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico. As of 2016, the this species is considered a priority 2 California species of special concern.
Described as a distinct species by John Edward Gray in 1839 (being named after Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville), it was later reclassified as a subspecies of the coast horned lizard (P. coronatum) in 1933. However, studies by Adam Leaché in 2006 and 2009 found sufficient genetic evidence to again classify P. blainvillii as a distinct species. In 2021, Gunther Köhler again reclassified blainvillii as a subspecies of P. coronatum, although the Reptile Database has not followed this.
This species ranges from the Central Valley of California south through Southern California to northern Baja California. These lizards are usually found near mountains in areas that are sandy, with low vegetation and near ant hills. Populations of Blainsville's horned lizard have been identified at elevations ranging from 10 m (33 ft) above sea... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Coast Horned Lizard sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 293 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 39 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.
May
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Coast Horned Lizard in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Coast Horned 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.
Only Joshua Tree National Park, in our data
Joshua Tree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Coast Horned Lizard sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Coast Horned Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Joshua Tree National Park (293 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.
