These are common in Homestead. I sometimes found them inside my apartment. In summer months I could often find three to six of them in the walkway outside my apartment.
Florida Non-native Lizards
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Photos of Agama, Curly-tailed Lizard, Gecko, Iguana and Basilisk.
(All Anoles are on a separate page.)
All animals alive, free and unrestrained.
All photos taken by me with Pentax Spotmatic or Pentax Spotmatic II.
This website is a collection of lizard and snake photos
taken by me. I have organized it into an identification
guide for snakes and lizards of the SE USA.
It only contains photos of the species of
snakes and lizards which I have photographed.
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This website written by Tom Spinker. see home page for e-mail address This page updated on 18 April 2006 Home Snakes Lizards Copyright © 2000 - 2006 All rights reserved. I make no warranties as to the accuracy of any of the information on this website. |
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27 June 2001. Gecko in Homestead, Florida. On light fixture outside my apartment.
135mm lens on bellows, flash. These are common in Homestead. I sometimes found them inside my apartment. In summer months I could often find three to six of them in the walkway outside my apartment. |
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4 Sept 2002 -- 11:20pm -- 100mm Macro lens, flash
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Here are two geckos on the light fixture right outside my apartment in Homestead, Florida. |
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The Bartlett and Bartlett book lists 14 species of gecko in Florida.
Only one of these, the Florida Reef Gecko, is native; all others are introduced.
Most gecko species exist only in small ranges -- usually around Miami or Tampa.
This gecko species grows to between 4 and 5 inches. |
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3 April 2003 approximately noon.Near Homestead Air Force Reserve Base
Range info is from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
Last updated 4 June 2004 Per Bartlett and Bartlett the Northern Curly-tailed Lizard can grow to 11 inches in total length. |
These lizards usually hold their tails up, curling toward
their bodies -- much like a scorpion. This one dropped his tail just before
I took the photo.
The Northern Curly-tailed Lizard is found along the Atlantic Ocean in Florida as far north as Brevard County (Cape Canaveral) and south into the Keys. And also in Highlands County. This species is abundant around Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. They were introduced into Florida from the Bahamas. This is the only one I have seen. The Bartlett and Bartlett Field Guide also includes the Red-sided Curly-tailed Lizard and the Green-legged Curly-tailed Lizard. Both were introduced into Florida from Hispaniola. These are less common and only found in a few locations in Dade County. |
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There is a colony of these African lizards living in one location in
south Florida north of Homestead. The lizards are very skittish -- I had
to photograph them from about 20 feet away.
The can grow to a foot in total length. Most of them were basking on a deteriorated, decorative, stone wall about 2 feet high, which defines the boundary lines of the property. The wall runs close to a public sidewalk by the side of a busy road. Photo taken 28 Feb 2003 about 1:00 pm with 200mm lens |
According to an on-line dictionary, agama is pronounced: uh GAY muhSecondary pronounciation is: AG uh muh (per www.yourdictionary.com)
Agamas are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They reach a body length of
ten inches (not including tail). Diet is mostly insects, but also eat small
mammals, small reptiles, and some vegetation. |
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Basilisks are common in south Florida along the Atlantic Coast.
They are always near water. Males grow to a body length of 5 to 8 inches.
The total length, including the tail, can reach 2 feet.
They are native to southern Mexico, Central and South America. I have another photo of a Basilisk which I took in Tehuantepec, Mexico, on my non-Florida lizard page. Also called Striped Basilisks. The Bartlett and Bartlett book lists two other species of Basilisks found in Florida: the Common Basilisk and the Green Basilisk These are larger and more colorful and less common. |
8 April 2003 11:20am. Near SE corner of Homestead Air Force Reserve Base.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Brown Basilisks are found in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Saint Lucie Counties. Refer to http://www.wildflorida.org/critters/exotics/exotics.asp specifically to the page http://wld.fwc.state.fl.us/critters/exotics/resultsClass.asp?taxclass=R |
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These huge, fruit-eating lizards can be found in
south Florida. They are common within the city limits of Miami and
Fort Lauderdale. Also known as Common Iguana. If you are going to south Florida to try to find some, check Matheson Hammock Park on the ocean south of Miami. Can grow to over six feet in total length. |
27 Nov 2002 --12:16pmPhoto taken at the bank of Miami River in Miami near NE corner of Miami International Airport. |
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