Zebra-tailed Lizard

Built for the Open Ground

Gray to tan with faint dorsal blotches, the zebra-tailed lizard is easy to overlook until it moves - long, thin legs and a flattened tail make it one of the fastest lizards in North America, capable of short sprints that leave most predators (and hikers) behind. The tail is the giveaway: when raised and curled over the back, its black-and-white banded underside flashes like a signal flag, a warning display aimed at predators as much as it is a distinguishing field mark for people.

Where & When to Find One

This is a specialist of flat, open desert - gravelly or sandy washes and creosote-dominated flats in Zion's lower, hotter terrain, generally below about 4,000 feet. It shares this habitat with collared lizards and side-blotched lizards, but favors flatter, more open ground than either. Most active during the hottest part of the day in spring and summer, when few other animals are moving.

Spotting One

Watch the ground ahead on open, sun-baked flats rather than rocky slopes. A zebra-tailed lizard often runs a short distance, stops abruptly with its tail curled up, then bolts again - that stop-and-curl motion, showing the banded tail underside, is usually the easiest way to notice one before it's gone.