# Common Spotted Whiptail

*Aspidoscelis gularis*

To escape predators at maximum speed, this lizard can lift its front legs and sprint purely on its hind legs.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Reptilia › Squamata › Teiidae › Aspidoscelis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Semi-arid grasslands, shrublands, rocky canyons, and open oak-juniper woodlands.
- **Diet:** Insects and terrestrial invertebrates, including termites, beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders.
- **Range:** United States (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma), Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí)
- **Size:** 6.5 to 11 inches (16.5 to 28 cm) in total length, with the tail making up more than half its length.
- **Lifespan:** 3-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation due to urbanization, pesticide use reducing insect prey, and predation by domestic cats.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. This lizard is extremely fast and will flee if approached. Observe from a safe distance of 3 to 5 feet. Avoid attempting to catch it, as it may drop its tail (autotomy) to escape, which drains its energy reserves. If handled and bitten, the bite is minor; simply wash the area with soap and water.

## About

The Texas spotted whiptail ( Cnemidophorus gularis or Aspidocelis gularis ) is a species of long-tailed lizard native to the southern United States, in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and northern Mexico in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Veracruz.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/0941328e-aaca-4a23-9f49-f46bd79b7c2b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73669
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidoscelis gularis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/41968/medium.jpg (Ken-ichi Ueda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.