Reptiles · Squamata · Iguanidae

Common Desert Iguana

Dipsosaurus dorsalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The common desert iguana is a pale lizard of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, closely tied to the creosote bush, whose flowers and leaves it eats. It is one of the most heat-tolerant lizards in North America: it stays active at temperatures that drive almost every other desert reptile into cover.

Weight

60 g – 120 g

Size

25 cm – 40 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Reptile Desert

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Fun facts

It stays active at ground temperatures above forty-five degrees, when every other desert lizard has already taken cover: it is one of the most heat-tolerant reptiles in North America.
It depends on the creosote bush, whose flowers, leaves and shoots it eats, and its distribution matches that of the plant almost exactly across the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
It occupies the abandoned burrows of kangaroo rats and desert tortoises rather than digging its own, which makes it dependent on those other animals.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Sandy deserts with creosote scrub of the south-western United States and north-western Mexico
Sexual maturity: 2.7 years
Gestation / incubation: 75 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 5 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsosaurus_dorsalis