Sceloporus uniformis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
Sceloporus uniformis, also known as the yellow-backed spiny lizard, is a reptile of the family Phrynosomatidae. It is native to the Mojave, Great Basin, and San Joaquin deserts. Until recently, it was considered to be a subspecies of Sceloporus magister.
Sceloporus uniformis was originally described as a subspecies of Sceloporus magister in 1955. In 2006, genetic analysis revealed that S. uniformis is sufficiently distinct to merit classification as its own species. S. uniformis is a large robust lizard, and adults can grow to 5.5 inches in body length (snout-to-vent), with a tail slightly longer than the body. Color is brown or tan with yellow and black dorsal stripes or mottling and a black collar on the sides of the neck.
Males are larger than females, and have a swollen tail base, enlarged postanal scales and femoral pores, and bluish markings on the throat and belly. Females have a pale throat and underbelly, with faint or no blue markings. The head of a female may be orange or reddish in the breeding season.
This lizard is native to the Mojave, Great Basin, and San Joaquin deserts. It is endemic to the United States... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 355 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 21 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard in Zion National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months. Those are among Zion National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in March.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-backed Spiny 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 3 parks where we can rate Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard sightings, Zion National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Death Valley National Park (United States, about 40%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Sceloporus
The closest relatives of the Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard that you can see in Zion National Park (genus Sceloporus, Spiny Lizards) are Plateau Fence Lizard (about 80%), Sagebrush Lizard (about 50%) and Desert Spiny Lizard (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Zion National Park (355 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.
