Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus hunsakeri
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyPhrynosomatidae (Phrynosomatid Lizards)
- GenusSceloporus (Spiny Lizards)
- SpeciesSceloporus hunsakeri (Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard)
About the Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus hunsakeri, also known commonly as Hunsaker's spiny lizard and la espinosa de Hunsaker in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
The specific name, hunsakeri, is in honor of American zoologist Don Hunsaker II. The preferred natural habitat of S. hunsakeri is rocky areas in shrubland, but it has also been found around buildings in urban areas. S. hunsakeri is oviparous.
Hall WP, Smith HM (1979). "Lizards of the Sceloporus orcutti Complex of the Cape Region of Baja California". Breviora (452): 1–26. (Sceloporus hunsakeri, new species, pp. 4–12). Heimes P (2022). Lizards of Mexico. Part I. Iguanian lizards. Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. 2. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 448 pp. ISBN 978-3-89973-101-9.
Peralta-García A, Valdez-Villavicencio JH, Fucsko LA, Hollingsworth BD, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, Rocha A, DeSantis DL, Porras LW, Wilson LD (2023). "The herpetofauna of the Baja California Peninsula and its adjacent islands, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Cabo Pulmo National Park
Baja California Spiny Lizard
Sceloporus zosteromus
Zebra-tailed Lizard
Callisaurus draconoides
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Uta stansburiana
Small-scaled Lizard
Urosaurus nigricauda
Baja California Rock Lizard
Petrosaurus thalassinus
Coast Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma coronatum
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 | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard in Cabo Pulmo National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard in Cabo Pulmo National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Hunsaker's Spiny Lizard in Cabo Pulmo National Park in our monthly data.