Arizona Alligator Lizard
Elgaria kingii
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyAnguidae (Glass and Alligator Lizards)
- GenusElgaria (Western Alligator Lizards)
- SpeciesElgaria kingii (Arizona Alligator Lizard)
About the Arizona Alligator Lizard
The Madrean alligator lizard (Elgaria kingii), also known commonly as King's alligator lizard and el lagarto de montaña in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico.
The specific name, kingii, is in honor of Phillip Parker King, an Australian-born Royal Navy officer who surveyed the coast of South America. E. kingii is found from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, United States, southward to Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, southeastern Zacatecas, and southwestern Aguascalientes, Mexico.
E. kingii is found in a variety of habitats including desert, grassland, shrubland, and forest. E. kingii is oviparous. Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Elgaria kingii ferruginea (Webb, 1962)
Elgaria kingii kingii Gray, 1838 Elgaria kingii nobilis Baird & Girard, 1852 Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Elgaria. Baird... Wikipedia →
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 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Arizona Alligator Lizard in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Arizona Alligator Lizard sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Arizona Alligator Lizard in Saguaro National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Arizona Alligator Lizard in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.