A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri - Coastal Whiptail

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Green

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to the other subspecies

Adult, San Diego County

Adult, Los Angeles County

Adult, San Diego County. Specimen courtesy of Robert Applegate

Adult, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County. © Mike Ryan

Adult, San Diego County

Mating adults, Baja California Del Norte

Eye open on the left, and eye closed, on the right,
showing the transparent lower eyelid of this species.

Habitat

Habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, eastern San Diego County

Habitat, 3000 ft., San Diego County

Habitat, Riverside County

Habitat, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County

Habitat, San Gabriel Mountains Los Angeles County

Coastal habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, western San Bernardino County

Whiptail Tracks in sand

Short Video

After being released, a Coastal Whiptail remains motionless for a short time before it slowly comes to life and races into the bushes faster than the camera can track it. It was found in a pit trap, then measured and marked in case of re-capture. The shock of the ordeal and the morning chill must have contributed to its initial sluggishness and disorientation.

Description

Size

Aspidoscelis tigris as a species is 2 3/8 - 5 inches inches long snout to vent (6 - 12.7 cm), up to around 13 inches (33 cm) total length.

Appearance

Slim-bodied with a long slender tail, a thin snout, and large symmetrical head plates.
The back and sides are grey, tan, or brown, marked with dark spots or bars or mottling, which is often very sharply defined. Dark marks on the side don't form vertical bars. Usually 8 poorly-defined light brown stripes are present, but stripes on the side are less well-defined. The throat is pale with with large black spots.
The belly is made of large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows. Often there are reddish patches on the sides of the belly.
Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled.
The tail can reach up to two times the length of the body. The tail tip is dark or bluish, and bright blue on juveniles.
Juveniles have fairly well-defined stripes. In the San Diego area, juveniles are spotted.

Behavior

Diurnal. Wary and very active, moving with abrupt stops and starts, side-to-side head movement, and tongue flicking. Often seen digging rapidly when foraging. Difficult to approach - typically foraging near cover, and capable of quick bursts of speed into heavy brush or holes.

Diet

Small invertebrates, especially spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and termites, and small lizards.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid from April to August.

Range

This subspecies is found in coastal Southern California, mostly west of the Peninsular Ranges and south of the Transverse Ranges, and north into Ventura County. Ranges south into Baja California.
The species (Aspidoscelis tigris) ranges from Northcentral Oregon and southern Idaho, south through California and Nevada to Baja California, and east into Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. Sea level to 7,000 ft. (2,130 m).

Habitat

Found in a variety of ecosystems, primarily hot and dry open areas with sparse foliage - chaparral, woodland, and riparian areas.

Taxonomic Notes

Formerly placed in the genus Cnemidophorus.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

This lizard inhabits habitats in coastal southern California which have been altered and fragmented by development.

Taxonomy
Family	Teiidae	Whiptails and Racerunners
Genus	Aspidoscelis	Whiptails (formerly Cnemidophorus)
Species	tigris	Tiger Whiptail
Subspecies	stejnegeri	Coastal Whiptail
Original Description
Cnemidophorus tigris - Baird and Girard, 1852 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 6, p. 69 Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus - Cope, "1892" 1893 - Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., Vol. 17, p. 38 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
(Cnemidophorus - Gr. knemidos greaves and Gr. phoros wearing - refers to the large scales on forelegs) Aspidoscelis - shield leg tigris - Latin - of a tiger - refers to the dorsal pattern stejnegeri - prob. honors Stejneger, Leonhard from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus
Related or Similar California Lizards
Great Basin Whiptail - A. t. tigris California Whiptail - A. t. munda
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009. Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Game	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks	G5T3T4S2S3	Secure
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List	None

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