Ornate Tree Lizard
Urosaurus ornatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyPhrynosomatidae (Frinosomàtids)
- GenusUrosaurus (Tree and Bush Lizards)
- SpeciesUrosaurus ornatus (Ornate Tree Lizard)
Urosaurus ornatus, commonly known as the ornate tree lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The species, which was formerly called simply the "tree lizard", has been used to study physiological changes during the fight-or-flight response as related to stress and aggressive competition. Its life history and costs of reproduction have been documented in field populations in New Mexico and Arizona. This species has been fairly well studied because of its interesting variation in throat color in males (within a population) that can correlate with different reproductive strategies. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Ornate Tree Lizard sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park
Long-tailed Brush Lizard
Urosaurus graciosus
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
Desert Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus magister
Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis
Desert Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma platyrhinos
Zebra-tailed Lizard
Callisaurus draconoides
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
Uma inornata
Coast Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma blainvillii
Flat-tailed Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma mcallii
Banded Rock Lizard
Petrosaurus mearnsi
Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard
Uma scoparia
Granite Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus orcutti
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Ornate Tree Lizard in Joshua Tree National Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Ornate Tree Lizard sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Ornate Tree Lizard in Joshua Tree National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Ornate Tree Lizard in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.