Alternate name: Western Whiptail
Family: Teiidae, Whiptails view all from this family
Description 8-12" (20.3-30.5 cm). Slender; 4-8 light stripes, often with many dark spots and lines on light gray or tan. Stripes and spotting sometimes faded or absent. Throat and belly usually white or yellow (rarely all black), with black spotting on chest. 8 longitudinal rows of large smooth rectangular belly scales. Tail gray or gray-green, usually with black speckling on sides; bright blue in juveniles.
Subspecies About 15; 5 in United States.
Great Basin Whiptail (C. t. tigris), usually 4 light stripes, vertical dark bars on sides; e. Oregon and sw. Idaho, south through c. Utah and w. Arizona into extreme nw. Sonora, e. Baja peninsula, north through e. California.
Sonoran (or Southern) Tiger Whiptail (C. t. punctilineatis, formerly known as C. t. gracilis), 4-6 distinct brown stripes with many light spots in interposed dark bands, throat and chest black; s. Arizona to extreme sw. New Mexico and n. Sonora.
Coastal Whiptail (C. t. stejnegeri, also known as C. t. multiscutatus), 8 ill-defined light stripes, large black spots on throat; coast of s. California and w. Baja California.
California Whiptail (C. t. mundus), 8 light stripes, distinct large dark spots and black spots on throat; nc. California south to c. California coast, isolated population in nc. Oregon.
Plateau (or Northern) Tiger Whiptail (C. t. septentrionalis), 6 fairly distinct yellow stripes, small black spots on throat; w. Colorado to nw. New Mexico, west through s. Utah and n. Arizona.
Breeding Mates April to May. Clutch of 1-4 eggs is laid in June in northern range. In south 1st clutch is laid in May, 2nd in July. Eggs hatch July to August.
Habitat Arid and semiarid desert to open woodlands; where vegetation is sparse enough to make running easy.
Range Baja California and California to e. Oregon and s. Idaho, south to extreme nw. and sw. New Mexico and into Mexico.
Discussion Diurnal. This species digs burrows both for safe retreats and to find underground prey. Like most whiptails, it stalks any small moving object, even fluttering leaves. Insects, scorpions, spiders, and daddy-long-legs are eaten. The Marbled Whiptail (C. marmoratus), found from s. New Mexico through w. Texas into Mexico, used to be considered a subspecies of the Tiger Whiptail.
