Desert iguana
A pale, plant-eating lizard that stays out on the open sand at Joshua Tree in midday heat that sends every other lizard into the shade.
Desert iguana at a glance
Dipsosaurus dorsalis DEZ-ert ih-GWAH-nuh; Dipsosaurus dorsalis is dip-so-SAWR-us dor-SAL-iss
- Type
- Reptile · lizard
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Size
- About 16 inches long from nose to tail on average, close to the length of a skateboard, though a big one can reach 24 inches. Most of that length is tail.
- Lifespan
- Documented living past 15 years in some studies; typical wild lifespan is not well established.
- Conservation
- Least concern
Eats creosote bush flowers and leaves, other desert wildflowers, buds and fruit, occasionally ants and insects
It is one of the few desert lizards that mostly eats plants instead of insects. It climbs right into the branches of a creosote bush to reach flowers and leaves, and it is especially drawn to creosote blossoms.
Should you worry?
A desert iguana is not dangerous. It has no venom and no bite worth worrying about, and its whole plan around a person is to run for a burrow. Watch it from a few feet away in the sun, and don't chase it into the heat of the day, since that's exactly when it wants to be left alone to feed.
By eleven in the morning on the desert flats near Cholla Cactus Garden, the sand throws back enough heat to blur the horizon, and every fence lizard and horned lizard nearby has already gone to ground. One lizard is still out working the open ground: pale, tan, rounded at the nose, moving in short unhurried bursts between patches of shade it doesn’t need yet. That is the desert iguana, and it is not lost. It is just getting started.
Most desert lizards bail for a burrow once their body gets hot. The desert iguana keeps foraging well past the point where a fence lizard would already be underground, tolerating body temperatures far higher before it finally ducks into a burrow of its own, or one it borrowed from a kit fox or a tortoise. It spends the extra time doing something else unusual for a desert lizard: eating plants. It climbs right into a creosote bush and works over the yellow flowers, taking leaves and buds too, in a spot where insect-eating lizards have already quit for the day.
That combination, more heat, more time, is why the desert iguana is often the only lizard you’ll see moving in full sun in the middle of a hot day at Joshua Tree. Every other reptile in the park has already made its call. If you spot one working its way along a creosote branch, hold still a few feet back and watch it finish the flower it’s on before it moves to the next.
Did you know?
- It reuses burrows dug by other animals, including desert tortoises and kit foxes, instead of always digging its own from scratch.
- It lays one clutch of 3 to 8 eggs a year, usually in early summer, and the hatchlings emerge by around September.
- Its tail makes up about three-fifths of its total length, which is where most of that 16-to-24-inch body goes.
Common questions
Are desert iguanas dangerous?
No. They have no venom and would much rather run for a burrow than come near a person. Watch from a few feet away and let them be.
Why do you see desert iguanas out in the hottest part of the day?
They can handle more heat than almost any other lizard in the desert, staying active well into temperatures that send other lizards underground.
What do desert iguanas eat?
Mostly plants: creosote bush flowers and leaves, other desert wildflowers, buds, and fruit, plus the occasional insect.
Where do desert iguanas live?
On sandy flats, dunes, and washes in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, including the desert flats at Joshua Tree.