Greater Short-Horned Lizard - Woodchute Trail

I always see a lot of horned lizards on this trail. They are slow, and easy to photograph. I found this one in the Prescott National Forest.

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard - Santa Rita Mountains

This lizard ranges across south-central, and southeastern Arizona at elevations ranging from 3,000 feet to about 6,000 feet. I found this lizard yesterday, while hiking up Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains. This diurnal lizard is often spotted basking on trees and sometimes rocks in the morning.

 

Eastern Collard Lizard - Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Trail

I saw this collard lizard while hiking the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Trail near Yarnell, Arizona. They are widespread throughout the western United States. In the Sonoran Desert, it is found in Arizona, southeastern California, and northern Mexico, including eastern Baja California. These lizards often sit on large rocks basking in the sun and looking out for other individuals or food. Males are highly territorial and have stereotypical head-bobbing and push-up displays.

 

Gila Monster - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

I saw this Gila Monster crossing the trail at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I chased it into the creosote bushes to get its photo. It then turned around and opened its powerful jaws trying to frighten me, that's when I chose to not get closer because they are venomous. A Gila monster bite is extremely painful to humans, but it rarely causes death. The biggest problem you might have if a Gila monster bit you is trying to get the lizard to release its grip! Most of the Gila monster's teeth have two grooves that conduct its venom, a neurotoxin, from glands in the lower jaw. The toxin is not injected like that of the snake, but flows into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim.

 

Desert Horned Lizard - Joshua Tree National Park

The Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) has the most limited distribution of any horned lizard species in the U.S. It is found in the Colorado Desert in California, Arizona and Mexico. Its California range is mostly contained in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys in CDFW's Inland Deserts Region, with some habitat in Eastern San Diego County.