Harmless · Native to the western United States and northern Mexico

Long-nosed leopard lizard

Gambelia wislizenii (Baird & Girard, 1852)

Also called longnose leopard lizard
Data updated October 2026

Long-nosed leopard lizard on reddish ground, its pale body and long tail covered in dark spots
Fig. 1 — An adult on desert ground, showing the dark spots and long tail.
Close view of a leopard lizard on red sand, showing its long snout, spotted body and pale throat
Fig. 2 — The long snout and spotted pattern that give the species its name.

At a glance

A slender, spotted, fast-running lizard of open desert flats. It ambushes insects and other lizards from the shade of a bush. Breeding females turn orange or red on the sides.

01

Identification

This is a long, slender lizard with a long snout and a tail that can be about twice the length of the body. The pale gray or tan body is covered in dark spots, and the throat is gray with dark streaks. The scales are small and granular. The lizard can darken its color so that the spots almost disappear. Breeding females develop salmon, orange or red markings along the sides.

  1. 01Dark spots. Bold dark spots over most of the body and tail.
  2. 02Long snout. The head is narrow, with a longer nose than related leopard lizards.
  3. 03Breeding color. Females carrying eggs show orange or red bars and spots on the sides.

Commonly confused with

The collared lizard, in the same family, has a heavier head and two black bands across the neck.

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Adult female · about 13 in (33 cm)

The head and body measure about 3.25 to 5.75 inches (8.3–14.6 cm). The tail can be almost twice the body length. In Idaho, adult females with a snout-to-vent length of about 4.6 inches (116 mm) reach about 13 inches (33 cm) in total; larger animals are longer.

03

Range & habitat

Leopard lizard standing alert on gravel in front of dry grass stems
Fig. 3 — Open ground between grasses and low shrubs suits this fast-running hunter.

Long-nosed leopard lizards range from Idaho and Oregon south through Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas into northern Mexico and Baja California.

They live in arid country with sandy or gravelly soil, sparse low shrubs such as creosote bush and sagebrush, patchy grass, and plenty of open space for running. Rodent burrows provide shelter.

04

Diet & predators

Leopard lizards are daytime ambush hunters. They wait under a bush, then dash out to seize prey. Grasshoppers and their relatives make up nearly half the diet. They also catch other lizards, small snakes and small rodents, and sometimes eat berries, leaves and flowers.

Feeds on

  • Grasshoppers and crickets
  • Beetles, bees and wasps
  • Spiders
  • Lizards, small snakes and rodents

Preyed on by

  • Kit foxes
  • Badgers
  • Birds

05

Behavior & seasons

The species is ground-dwelling but sometimes climbs into bushes. When threatened it may hiss, run off, or bite. It is one of the few lizards known to make a sound.

It spends cold weather inactive in underground burrows and is active in the warmer months.

06

Reproduction

Mating takes place in spring. Females lay a small clutch of about 3 to 7 eggs in June or July. The eggs hatch about five to seven weeks later, in August or September.

07

Conservation

This is a widespread species. In Idaho it is an unprotected nongame species.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages