Description: The western whiptail has a long and slender body, small grainy scales on its back, and larger rectangular scales on its belly. The upper side often has light stripes, and the throat can be pinkish or somewhat orange in adults. The maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) is about 4 inches, and maximum total length (including tail) is about 12 inches. Hatchlings are orange-yellow with dark brown-black spots or stripes.

Habitat: It is found in hot dry regions, typically with sparse foliage. It can live in woodland, chaparral, riparian areas, or desert. Desert subspecies prefer habitat with vegetation such as sagebrush or shadscale, and rely on burrows to escape the desert heat.

Range: The western whiptail is widespread throughout northern Mexico and the western United States. In the US it can be found in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah.

Found in these States: AZ | CA | CO | ID | NM | NV | OR | UT

Diet: The western whiptail mostly eats insects, spiders, scorpions, lepidopterans, crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles. They use their jaws instead of their tongue to capture their prey.

Reproduction: The western whiptail's chromosomes show that it is polyploid. It is also a bisexual species, containing both males and females, unlike other species of Aspidoscelis which are all-female. Usually in the northern end of its range, mating occurs in the first half of June, and females begin to lay eggs in late June. The eggs usually begin hatching by mid-August. Females will only lay one clutch (number of eggs laid at a single time) per year. At the southern end of its range, however, females will begin to lay eggs as early as May, and the eggs will usually hatch as early as mid-June. In the southern end of its range, females may also lay two clutches per year instead of just one.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats are known. Subspecies marmoratus is considered to be a distinct species by some authorities; as such, it also is Least Concern.

Subspecies: Fifteen, with six being found in our region:
   San Pedro Nolasco Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris aethiops)
   Dickerson's Tiger Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris dickersonae)
   Angel de la Guarda Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris disparilis)
   Cedros Island Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris multiscutatus)
   California Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris mundus)
   Eastern Blackthroat Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris nigroriens)
   Beautiful Marbled Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris pulcher)
   Spotted Tiger Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris punctatus)
   Sonoran Tiger Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris punctilinealis)
   Reddish Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris rubidus)
   Painted Desert Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris septentrionalis)
   Coastal Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri)
   Great Basin Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris)
   Western Spotted Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris variolosus)
   South Coronado Island Whiptail - (Aspidoscelis tigris vividus)

Taxonomy: