Reptiles
Zebra-tailed Lizard
Callisaurus draconoides · also called zebra-tailed lizards, gridiron-tailed lizard
A zebra-tailed lizard has one main plan when trouble shows up: outrun it. Built for pure speed across open desert flats where there is nowhere to hide, it can even lift its front half off the ground and sprint on its hind legs alone, flashing a bold black-and-white banded tail over its back as if to say the chase is already over.
Overview
The zebra-tailed lizard, Callisaurus draconoides, lives on open, flat desert terrain across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, hunting insects and spiders during the day. Long hind legs make it one of the fastest lizards in North America relative to its size.
Speed instead of shelter
Rather than relying on rocks or burrows like many desert lizards, it trades cover for raw speed, tolerating extreme heat that keeps other reptiles hidden away. Its boldly banded tail, curled up over the back when alarmed, likely signals to predators that pursuit is already futile.
Status
Least Concern — common and widespread across suitable open desert habitat, with only localised pressure from development in parts of the desert Southwest.
Zebra-tailed Lizard: common questions
How fast can a zebra-tailed lizard actually run?
The zebra-tailed lizard is regarded as one of the fastest lizard species in North America relative to its size, capable of very rapid sprints across open desert ground using its long, powerful hind legs, and it can even run in a partly bipedal posture for short bursts, lifting its front legs off the ground entirely to reduce drag and increase speed. This exceptional speed is its primary defence against predators, given how little natural cover is typically available in the open, flat desert terrain it prefers.
Why does a zebra-tailed lizard curl its tail up over its back?
Curling the boldly black-and-white banded tail forward over the back displays a striking, high-contrast pattern that is thought to signal directly to a nearby predator that it has already been detected, potentially discouraging further pursuit since a failed ambush against an alert, fast-moving lizard is far less likely to succeed than one against an unaware target. This kind of pursuit-deterrent signalling is seen in several fast-running lizard species and is considered a plausible explanation for the tail-flashing display.
Why does the zebra-tailed lizard live in such open, exposed desert habitat?
Rather than relying on rocks, burrows, or dense vegetation for shelter the way many other desert lizards do, the zebra-tailed lizard has instead evolved to rely primarily on raw speed and background-matching colouration to avoid predators, which allows it to successfully occupy flat, open desert terrain that offers little other cover but plenty of open ground ideal for fast, unobstructed sprinting. This ecological strategy effectively trades reliance on physical shelter for reliance on athletic performance and evasion.
Can the zebra-tailed lizard handle extreme desert heat better than other lizards?
Yes, it is able to remain active during some of the hottest parts of the day in desert conditions that cause many other reptile species to seek shelter and become inactive, tolerating notably high body temperatures for a lizard. It still relies on brief retreats into shade or loose sand if conditions become truly extreme, but its unusually high heat tolerance allows it a longer active foraging window during the day than many other desert reptiles typically have.