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A large, fast, predatory lizard that can run on its hind legs.
The Great Basin collared lizard is one of Zion's larger lizards, reaching about 14 inches. Zion describes it as carnivorous: it preys on smaller lizards, snakes and insects. It is quick for its size and known to stand up and run on its hind legs.
Zion names the lower canyon and the Watchman Trail as places to look. Zion notes that larger lizards begin to bask later in the morning, once the sun is stronger, so a sunny morning on open rock is a better bet than first light.
Give it room. The lizard's running display is an escape, not a performance, and chasing one to see it only wastes its energy and may cost it a tail. Use the trail, a long lens and patience. As with Zion's other reptiles, a record from one park shows what lives there, not where else in Utah the lizard occurs.
Large, long-tailed lizard with a heavy head; can run upright on its hind legs.
Watch from a distance on sunny rock and never try to provoke the running display.
A heavy-bodied, mostly plant-eating lizard that uses rocky crevices as both refuge and defense.
Sure-footed sheep of the slickrock, restored to Zion after disappearing there.
Insect-eating flying mammals whose lives depend on suitable roosts, water and a safe seasonal cycle.