Elgaria coerulea
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is a species of medium-sized lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is native to the North American west coast. There are four recognized subspecies. The northern alligator lizard was formerly known by the scientific name of Gerrhonotus coeruleus (Wiegmann, 1828), but more recently has been assigned to the genus Elgaria.
Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Elgaria coerulea coerulea (Wiegmann, 1828) – San Francisco alligator lizard Elgaria coerulea palmeri (Stejneger, 1893) – Sierra alligator lizard
Elgaria coerulea principis (Baird & Girard, 1852) – Northwestern alligator lizard Elgaria coerulea shastensis (Fitch, 1934) – Shasta alligator lizard A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Elgaria.
The subspecies E. c. principis is one of seven species of lizards in Canada. The subspecific name, palmeri, is in honor of American zoologist Theodore Sherman Palmer. The northern alligator lizard is a medium-sized slender lizard. Adults reach a snout-to... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Lindsay Wildlife Experience | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Alligator Lizard sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 88 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 17 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Alligator Lizard in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in April and November–February, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Alligator 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 Northern Alligator Lizard sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Redwood National Park (United States, about 30%) and Yosemite National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Alligator Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (88 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.
