Death Valley National Park

🇺🇸 United States

🐍 Watch Sidewinders Perform Their Breeding Rituals

🌍 #186 Global · 3.5 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #33 in North America #13 in Desert & Scrub

United States, United States 671 spp. recorded

Death Valley National Park is a vast desert reserve in the western United States, defined by salt flats, gravel fans, and eroded mountain ranges. Across these arid basins and sparse scrublands, resilient wildlife adapts to extreme heat by restricting activity to cooler hours and shaded rocky crevices.

36.648° N 117.233° W

Wildlife

⭐ Iconic Species

Common Chuckwalla

Sauromalus ater

70–80% · Very likely

Sidewinder

Crotalus cerastes

50–60% · Likely

Coyote

Canis latrans

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Common Side-blotched Lizard

Uta stansburiana

80–90% · Very likely

Common Raven

Corvus corax

80–90% · Very likely

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Callisaurus draconoides

70–80% · Very likely

Desert Horned Lizard

Phrynosoma platyrhinos

60–70% · Likely

Desert Iguana

Dipsosaurus dorsalis

50–60% · Likely

House Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus

50–60% · Likely

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

50–60% · Likely

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

50–60% · Likely

Desert Collared Lizard

Crotaphytus bicinctores

40–50% · Likely

Western Whiptail

Aspidoscelis tigris

40–50% · Likely

Panamint Rattlesnake

Crotalus stephensi

40–50% · Likely

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Setophaga coronata

40–50% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Coyote

Canis latrans

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Bighorn Sheep

Ovis canadensis

40–50% · Likely

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

30–40% · Possible

Desert Cottontail

Sylvilagus audubonii

30–40% · Possible

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel

Ammospermophilus leucurus

30–40% · Possible

Kit Fox

Vulpes macrotis

20–30% · Possible

American Badger

Taxidea taxus

10–20% · Possible

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

10–20% · Possible

Pronghorn

Antilocapra americana

10–20% · With luck

Desert Kangaroo Rat

Dipodomys deserti

10–20% · With luck

Desert Woodrat

Neotoma lepida

10–20% · With luck

Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

10–20% · With luck

Bobcat

Lynx rufus

10–20% · With luck

📊 Most Spotted

Common Raven

Corvus corax

80–90% · Very likely

House Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus

50–60% · Likely

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

50–60% · Likely

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

50–60% · Likely

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Setophaga coronata

40–50% · Likely

American Coot

Fulica americana

40–50% · Likely

Say's Phoebe

Sayornis saya

40–50% · Likely

Ruddy Duck

Oxyura jamaicensis

30–40% · Possible

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

30–40% · Possible

Rock Wren

Salpinctes obsoletus

30–40% · Possible

Verdin

Auriparus flaviceps

30–40% · Possible

Costa's Hummingbird

Calypte costae

20–30% · Possible

⭐ Iconic Species

Common Chuckwalla

Sauromalus ater

70–80% · Very likely

Sidewinder

Crotalus cerastes

50–60% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Common Side-blotched Lizard

Uta stansburiana

80–90% · Very likely

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Callisaurus draconoides

70–80% · Very likely

Desert Horned Lizard

Phrynosoma platyrhinos

60–70% · Likely

Desert Iguana

Dipsosaurus dorsalis

50–60% · Likely

Desert Collared Lizard

Crotaphytus bicinctores

40–50% · Likely

Western Whiptail

Aspidoscelis tigris

40–50% · Likely

Panamint Rattlesnake

Crotalus stephensi

40–50% · Likely

Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard

Sceloporus uniformis

40–50% · Likely

Long-nosed Leopard Lizard

Gambelia wislizenii

40–50% · Possible

Gopher Snake

Pituophis catenifer

30–40% · Possible

Coachwhip

Masticophis flagellum

30–40% · Possible

Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Western Toad

Anaxyrus boreas

30–40% · Possible

Amargosa Toad

Anaxyrus nelsoni

20–30% · Possible

Pacific chorus frog

Pseudacris regilla

20–30% · Possible

Red-spotted Toad

Anaxyrus punctatus

10–20% · Possible

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

10–20% · With luck

Woodhouse's Toad

Anaxyrus woodhousii

10–20% · With luck

Inyo Mountains Salamander

Batrachoseps campi

Insufficient data

Great Basin Spadefoot

Spea intermontana

Insufficient data

Animal Events

🦎

Chuckwalla Basking Season

FebMarAprMayJunJul

Chuckwallas emerge to bask on sun-warmed rocks, often seen in pairs or small groups. They retreat to rock crevices during midday heat.

Common Chuckwalla

Sauromalus ater

70–80% · Very likely

🦎

Sidewinder Breeding Rituals

AprMayJunJulSep

Male sidewinders engage in combat dances to establish dominance before mating. Females lay eggs in sandy burrows, which hatch in late summer.

Sidewinder

Crotalus cerastes

50–60% · Likely

🦌

Coyote Nocturnal Foraging

JanOctDec

Coyotes adapt to extreme heat by hunting nocturnally, often seen near water sources or scavenging carcasses. Their howls echo through canyons at night.

Coyote

Canis latrans

60–70% · Likely

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Species Total

40–50

50–60

60–70

60–70

60–70

50–60

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

30–40

Common Chuckwalla

40–50

70–80

80–90

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

50–60

50–60

30–40

30–40

20–30

10–20

30–40

30–40

50–60

60–70

60–70

70–80

40–50

50–60

40–50

20–30

10–20

70–80

60–70

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

60–70

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

80–90

Common Side-blotched Lizard

80–90

90–100

90–100

80–90

80–90

70–80

70–80

60–70

80–90

80–90

80–90

60–70

90–100

80–90

80–90

70–80

80–90

70–80

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

Zebra-tailed Lizard

20–30

60–70

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

50–60

30–40

10–20

Desert Horned Lizard

10–20

30–40

60–70

70–80

80–90

70–80

80–90

60–70

60–70

40–50

30–40

0–10

0–10

30–40

70–80

70–80

60–70

50–60

50–60

50–60

10–20

10–20

0–10

0–10

60–70

60–70

50–60

60–70

60–70

60–70

20–30

20–30

50–60

50–60

50–60

60–70

White-crowned Sparrow

70–80

70–80

60–70

50–60

0–10

0–10

0–10

0–10

30–40

70–80

70–80

80–90

40–50

40–50

30–40

50–60

80–90

80–90

30–40

40–50

50–60

40–50

30–40

30–40

Desert Collared Lizard

0–10

20–30

30–40

50–60

60–70

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

10–20

10–20

0–10

Western Whiptail

0–10

10–20

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

20–30

40–50

30–40

20–30

20–30

0–10

Panamint Rattlesnake

10–20

20–30

30–40

60–70

50–60

40–50

40–50

10–20

40–50

30–40

20–30

0–10

Yellow-rumped Warbler

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

10–20

<5

0–10

0–10

10–20

70–80

60–70

60–70

Animal Events

🦎 Chuckwalla Basking Season

🦎 Sidewinder Breeding Rituals

🦌 Coyote Nocturnal Foraging

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Good

🐍 Watch Sidewinders Perform Their Breeding Rituals

🦜

Biodiversity

Excellent

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg

4.8 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Species by taxon

🦅 Birds

479

🐒 Mammals

114

🦎 Reptiles

65

🐸 Amphibians

13

671 Total Species

841 Global average across 280 parks

28 Threatened 101 Endemic

🔭

Sighting

Good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg

3.1 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

🎯

Top-12 Avg Probability

62% Global avg

63%

📊

Coverage (191 species at ≥5% of 671 in the inventory)

24% Global avg

28%

🔀

Taxon variety in top 12 (7 reptile, 4 bird, 1 mammal)

47% Global avg

72%

🔭

Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)

132 Global avg

113

🌟

Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)

14 Global avg

6

⭐

High-prob species (>40%)

26 Global avg

19

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