Ecoregion

Chihuahuan Desert Reptiles and Amphibians by Month

The Chihuahuan Desert is hot, rocky and full of reptiles. Greater Earless Lizards and Texas Horned Lizards are classic finds. Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes are the most-reported snake. June is the busiest month, and summer rains bring Couch's Spadefoots and Texas Toads out at night. Several rattlesnakes and the Broad-banded Copperhead live here.

61 species5 venomous

Peak and shoulder ratings are rough guidance, not a schedule. Weather, elevation and the year can shift any species by weeks.

Rare and protected species are left off on purpose. Look, don't take, and never handle a venomous snake.

Species out in Chihuahuan Desert, by group and month

Group
Snakes			6	19	25	25	24	24	22	16	3
Lizards	2	5	14	23	24	24	22	23	20	16	8	3
Turtles	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1
Frogs and Toads			2	5	10	10	10	10	10	10	4

Numbers = species active that month (at peak or just starting / winding down).

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54 species at peak or shoulder in September

peak

Frogs and ToadsAmerican BullfrogLithobates catesbeianus

peak

SnakesBig Bend Patch-nosed SnakeSalvadora deserticola

peak

LizardsCanyon LizardSceloporus merriami

peak

Frogs and ToadsCanyon Tree FrogDryophytes arenicolor

peak

SnakesCheckered Garter SnakeThamnophis marcianus

peak

Frogs and ToadsChihuahuan Green ToadAnaxyrus debilis

peak

SnakesCommon CoachwhipMasticophis flagellum

peak

LizardsCommon Side-blotched LizardUta stansburiana

peak

LizardsCommon Spotted WhiptailAspidoscelis gularis

peak

LizardsCrevice Spiny LizardSceloporus poinsettii

peak

SnakesEastern Black-tailed RattlesnakeCrotalus ornatus

venomous

peak

SnakesGopher SnakePituophis catenifer

peak

Frogs and ToadsGreat Plains ToadAnaxyrus cognatus

peak

LizardsGreater Earless LizardCophosaurus texanus

peak

LizardsMediterranean House GeckoHemidactylus turcicus

introduced

peak

Frogs and ToadsMexican SpadefootSpea multiplicata

peak

SnakesMojave RattlesnakeCrotalus scutulatus

venomous

peak

SnakesMountain Patch-nosed SnakeSalvadora grahamiae

peak

LizardsOrnate Tree LizardUrosaurus ornatus

peak

TurtlesPond SliderTrachemys scripta

peak

SnakesPrairie RattlesnakeCrotalus viridis

venomous

peak

Frogs and ToadsRed-spotted ToadAnaxyrus punctatus

peak

SnakesRing-necked SnakeDiadophis punctatus

peak

Frogs and ToadsRio Grande Leopard FrogLithobates berlandieri

peak

TurtlesSpiny SoftshellApalone spinifera

peak

SnakesStriped WhipsnakeMasticophis taeniatus

peak

LizardsTexas Alligator LizardGerrhonotus infernalis

peak

SnakesWestern Diamond-backed RattlesnakeCrotalus atrox

venomous

peak

Frogs and ToadsWoodhouse's ToadAnaxyrus woodhousii

shoulder

LizardsArizona Striped WhiptailAspidoscelis arizonae

shoulder

SnakesBaird's RatsnakePantherophis bairdi

shoulder

SnakesBlack-necked Garter SnakeThamnophis cyrtopsis

shoulder

SnakesBroad-banded CopperheadAgkistrodon laticinctus

venomous

shoulder

SnakesChihuahuan NightsnakeHypsiglena jani

shoulder

LizardsCommon Checkered WhiptailAspidoscelis tesselatus

shoulder

Frogs and ToadsCouch's SpadefootScaphiopus couchii

shoulder

SnakesDesert KingsnakeLampropeltis splendida

shoulder

LizardsEastern Collared LizardCrotaphytus collaris

shoulder

SnakesGlossy SnakeArizona elegans

shoulder

SnakesGreat Plains RatsnakePantherophis emoryi

shoulder

LizardsGreat Plains SkinkPlestiodon obsoletus

shoulder

SnakesLong-nosed SnakeRhinocheilus lecontei

shoulder

LizardsMarbled WhiptailAspidoscelis marmoratus

shoulder

SnakesMexican Hognose SnakeHeterodon kennerlyi

shoulder

LizardsRoundtail Horned LizardPhrynosoma modestum

shoulder

LizardsRusty-rumped WhiptailAspidoscelis scalaris

shoulder

SnakesSouthwestern Blackhead SnakeTantilla hobartsmithi

shoulder

LizardsSouthwestern Fence LizardSceloporus cowlesi

shoulder

LizardsTexas Banded GeckoColeonyx brevis

shoulder

LizardsTexas Horned LizardPhrynosoma cornutum

shoulder

Frogs and ToadsTexas ToadAnaxyrus speciosus

shoulder

SnakesTrans-pecos RatsnakeBogertophis subocularis

shoulder

LizardsTwin-spotted Spiny LizardSceloporus bimaculosus

shoulder

LizardsWestern Earless LizardHolbrookia maculata

About Chihuahuan Desert

When are reptiles and amphibians most active in the Chihuahuan Desert?

June is the busiest month in the Chihuahuan Desert, with 61 species at peak activity. At least half of the area's species are active from April through October.

What reptiles and amphibians live in the Chihuahuan Desert?

61 species have enough iNaturalist records to show here: 25 snakes, 24 lizards, 10 frogs and toads, and 2 turtles. The most-reported are the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Greater Earless Lizard, and Common Side-blotched Lizard.

Are there venomous snakes in the Chihuahuan Desert?

Yes. The Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake, Mojave Rattlesnake, Prairie Rattlesnake, and Broad-banded Copperhead live here. Don't handle them.

Which reptiles and amphibians in the Chihuahuan Desert are introduced?

The Mediterranean House Gecko is not native here.

Where does this data come from?

Activity calendars are built from iNaturalist research-grade observations (downloaded through GBIF, September 2026), corrected for how many people are out observing each month. Rare and protected species are left off on purpose.