Dipsosaurus dorsalis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is an iguana species found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, as well as on several Gulf of California islands. The species was first described in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, by Spencer Fullerton Baird and Charles Frédéric Girard, in 1852 as Crotaphytus dorsalis. It was reclassified two years later as Dipsosaurus dorsalis by Edward Hallowell. The generic name comes from a combination of two Greek words meaning "thirsty lizard": "Dipsa" (δίψα) for "thirsty", and "sauros" (σαῦρος) for "lizard". The specific name, "dorsalis", comes from the Latin word dorsum meaning "spike", in reference to a row of enlarged spiked scales on the middle of the lizard's back which form a crest that extends almost to the tip of its vent. Dipsosaurus contains two species, D. dorsalis, and D. catalinensis. Genetic evidence supports Dipsosaurus being the sister lineage to all other members of Iguanidae, diverging during the late Eocene, about 38 million years ago.
There are two peninsular and one continental subspecies of the desert iguana. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Hogle Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Lehigh Valley Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Drayton Manor Theme Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Vivarium Darmstadt | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Orange County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Lindsay Wildlife Experience | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Iguana sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 348 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 39 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–May and August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Iguana in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Desert Iguana sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Desert Iguana sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Desert Iguana is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Joshua Tree National Park (348 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.
