Northern Alligator Lizard

Northern Alligator Lizard

Elgaria coerulea

Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Olympic National Park
83 Verified sightings at Olympic National Park From 2019 to 2026
69 Verified sightings across 1 park From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Northern Alligator Lizard

The northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is a species of medium-sized lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is native to the North American west coast. There are four recognized subspecies. The northern alligator lizard was formerly known by the scientific name of Gerrhonotus coeruleus (Wiegmann, 1828), but more recently has been assigned to the genus Elgaria.

Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Elgaria coerulea coerulea (Wiegmann, 1828) – San Francisco alligator lizard Elgaria coerulea palmeri (Stejneger, 1893) – Sierra alligator lizard

Elgaria coerulea principis (Baird & Girard, 1852) – Northwestern alligator lizard Elgaria coerulea shastensis (Fitch, 1934) – Shasta alligator lizard A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Elgaria.

The subspecies E. c. principis is one of seven species of lizards in Canada. The subspecific name, palmeri, is in honor of American zoologist Theodore Sherman Palmer. The northern alligator lizard is a medium-sized slender lizard. Adults reach a snout-to... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Alligator Lizard in Olympic National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Alligator Lizard sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Alligator Lizard in Olympic National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Northern Alligator Lizard in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.

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