What Is This #AZCritter? Tiger Whiptail Lizard
What Is This #AZCritter? is a new digital series from the Arizona Science Desk that wants to help you identify and learn more about interesting Arizona animals.
Have you ever seen a strange critter in Arizona you couldn’t identify? Submit it to science.kjzz.org/azcritter.
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What Is This #AZCritter?
Bryan sent us this photo of a lizard lurking outside his window.
What Is It?
It's a Tiger Whiptail lizard. For more, we checked in with Dr. Brian Sullivan, an Arizona State University professor who studies the evolution and conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
Where Do They Live?
Sullivan said the lizard, known as Aspidoscelis tigris, is "found across much of Arizona, and the Southwest."
“It is one of three lizards found throughout much of the urban environment, where it uses its snake-like tongue to search for arthropod prey, detecting them when buried, by scent and by movement,” Sullivan said.
Are They Dangerous?
No. They eat insects and are “completely harmless to humankind,” he said. This Tiger Whiptail has a 4-inch long body with a long thin tail two to three times its body length (maximum 15 inches).
