Ornate Tree Lizard
Ornate Tree LizardOrnate Tree LizardOrnate Tree LizardOrnate Tree Lizard

Ornate Tree Lizard

Urosaurus ornatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Grand Canyon National Park
225 Verified records at Grand Canyon National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Ornate Tree Lizard sighting in Grand Canyon National Park, based on 225 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Grand Canyon National Park

Plateau Fence Lizard
Endemic

Plateau Fence Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Sceloporus tristichus

60–70% · Likely
Desert Spiny Lizard
LC

Desert Spiny Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Sceloporus magister

50–60% · Likely
Common Side-blotched Lizard
LC

Common Side-blotched Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Uta stansburiana

50–60% · Likely
Greater Short-horned Lizard
LC

Greater Short-horned Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Phrynosoma hernandesi

40–50% · Possible
Sagebrush Lizard
LC

Sagebrush Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Sceloporus graciosus

20–30% · Possible
Desert Horned Lizard
LC

Desert Horned Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Phrynosoma platyrhinos

10–20% · With luck
Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard

Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Sceloporus uniformis

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
30–40
Mar
30–40
Apr
60–70
May
50–60
Jun
40–50
Jul
50–60
Aug
40–50
Sep
40–50
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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
50–60%
2 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
40–50%
3 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
4 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
5 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
6 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Ornate Tree Lizard in Grand Canyon National Park?

About 45% of wildlife watchers report a Ornate Tree Lizard sighting in Grand Canyon National Park, based on 225 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Ornate Tree Lizard in Grand Canyon National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Ornate Tree Lizard in Grand Canyon National Park in our monthly data.

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