Lizard Photos






            





This is the top page of the lizard section of the website.
Follow the links to my collection of lizard photos.


This includes a guide to all the lizards of the eastern USA plus photos of
a few lizards from Puerto Rico and Oaxaca, Mexico.




All photos taken by me.

All lizards alive, free and unrestrained.






This website written by Tom Spinker

see home page for e-mail address



This page last updated: 31 July 2004





Copyright © 2000-2004.  All Rights Reserved

I make no warrenties as to the accuracy of any of the
information on this website




home    
snakes















This page is divided into three parts

    

  • Part 1   Index
    • 

  • Part 2   Native Lizards of Florida and the Eastern USA
    • 

  • Part 3   Introduced Lizards of Florida
    • 
















This website began as a collection of my photos.
Much like a birder keeps a "life list" I was keeping an
on-line record of the snakes and lizards I had photographed.


Now I have a sufficient number of species so that the webpage
may be useful for people trying to identify a species.
It is not a complete guide.  There are several species missing.















                  



Part 1    Index




Florida lizards:





                    


   
    Anoles of Florida

   
    Green Anole, Knight Anole, Brown Anole, Bark Anole
   
   

   
   Native Lizards of Florida
   
   

   
   (besides Anoles)
   

   Southeastern Five-Lined Skink,
   Florida Scrub Lizard,
   Eastern Glass Lizard,
   Southern Fence Lizard,
   Six-lined Racerunner
   
   

   
   Introduced Lizards in Florida
   
   

   
   (besides Anoles)
   

   Gecko,
   Northern Curly-tailed,
   Agama,
   Brown Basilisk,
   Green Iguana
   
   
                




Non-Florida Lizards:



                      

The non-Florida lizard section is a collection of photos which I have taken.
It is far from being an organized guide.
I have not determined the species of many of the non-Florida lizards.




Lizards from Puerto Rico


Anole, Ameiva




Spiny Lizards from Oaxaca, Mexico


Other Lizards from Oaxaca, Mexico


Black Iguana,
Basilisk,
Gecko,
Anole,
Ameiva



                              

                   

                    


                       





In Association with Amazon.com




Here are books for identification of Florida lizards.
You can click on the title to jump over to Amazon.com to buy them.



A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles and Amphibians
by R.D. Bartlett and P.P. Bartlett.

This does not include snakes.  It is a companion to Alan Tennant's guide to snakes.
The book contains color photos and descriptions of 177 species and sub-species,
both indigenous and introduced.


The above book is out-of-print.  Buy the following book instead.





A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians of Eastern & Central North America
by Roger Conant, Joseph T. Collins

Covers all reptiles and amphibians in USA and Canada
from Texas northward and eastward.


Paperback: 634 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.29 x 7.26 x 4.53 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co; 4 edition (May 15, 1998)





Florida's Fabulous Reptiles and Amphibians
by P. Carmichael and W. Williams.

This book contains excellent photographs.  Text is somewhat
childish.  Book measures 9" by 12" (like a magazine) and has 120 pages.



                      




             








                                      


Part 2    Native Lizards of Florida and Eastern USA










There are 17 species of lizards found in the USA east of the Mississippi River.
All but one of these can be found in Florida.


These lizards are grouped into six families.
Some families have more than one species, but often the differences
between species within a family are so subtle that only an expert can recognize them.


The  six families are listed below.






                     

I have organized my photos to look like a guide to lizard identification.
But don't be misled.  This website is only a collection of my photos.
It fails as a lizard ID guide because species are missing and because
it does not point-out exactly what to look for to identify lizards.


Information on the range of species is taken from Peterson Field Guide
Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern/Central North America by
Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins published in 1998.


Species numbers may have increased in recent years as molecular analysis reveals
that lizards thought to be sub-species are actually different species.


The only native lizard which is found east of the Mississippi River which is
not found in Florida is the Praire Skink Eumeces septentrionalis.
The range is this skink is primarily the plains states west of the Mississippi, but
the range extends into Wisconsin.


The lengths of lizards, given below, are the total lengths, including the tail.
Lengths are taken from Bartlett and Bartlett's A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles
and Amphibians.



Prior to 1989, the Iguanidae family included a large number of lizards including
spiny lizards, anoles, basilisks, iguanas.
In 1989 Frost and Etheridge proposed that this family be split into
seven families.
Some authors have adopted the Frost and Etheridge
reclassification.  Some use the old method.


This is taken from
 http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/~uetz/families/Iguanidae.html
I am using the new classification.  If I had used the old method, the only difference
would be that both Anoles and Spiny Lizards would be in the family Iguanidae.
















The text in this section refers only to native lizards found east of
the Mississippi River in the USA.










                             





                        


Anole Family      1 species




Polychridae


There is only one native Anole in the eastern USA, the Green Anole, aka Carolina
Anole.  It is found in the SE from the Carolinas to Texas, including all of Florida
and most of Georgia.






Green Anole






 Anoles of Florida

Can rapidly change color from bright green to brown.
Length = 8"










Skink Family      8 species




Scincidae


Eight species of skink are found in USA east of Mississippi River.




The eight species are: Five-lined Skink, Southeastern Five-lined Skink, Broad-headed Skink,
Ground Skink, Sand Skink, Coal Skink, Mole Skink, and Praire Skink





Southeastern Five-Lined Skink






Native Lizards of Florida

Length = 8"  Found on the ground in leaf litter and under logs and debris.
Turns red (as in photo) during mating season.

The Broad-headed Skink climbs trees.  Other species spend most of their time on
the ground, although they are capable of climbing.










Glass Lizard Family      4 species




Anguidae


These are legless lizards.
There are four species

    

  • Eastern Glass Lizard
    • 

  • Slender Glass Lizard
    • 

  • Mimic Glass Lizard
    • 

  • Island Glass Lizard
    • 


These species are nearly indistinguishable.




Eastern Glass Lizard






Native Lizards of Florida

Legless lizard.  Length = 19 to 28"



                       









                                                




Spiny Lizard Family      2 species




Phrynosomatidae


Also called Swifts or Fence Lizards.


There are two species East of the Mississippi -- the Eastern Fence Lizard and
the Florida Scrub Lizard.  These are similar in appearance.




Eastern Fence Lizard






Native Lizards of Florida

Length = 6.5"










Gecko Family      1 species




Gekkonidae


There is one native gecko found in Florida -- the Florida Reef Gecko
Sphaerodactylus notatus.  It is found only in SE Florida and
the Keys.  I do not have a photo.











Racerunner (etc) Family      1 species




Teiidae


The Six-lined Racerunner is the only member of the family which is
found East of the Mississippi.
Western lizards in this family are often named "whiptails".  Ameivas are
also included in the Teiidae family.




Six-lined Racerunner






Native Lizards of Florida

Length = 8.5"  On the ground.  Always running.




             











Part 3    Introduced Lizards of Florida









The Bartlett and Bartlett book describes 35 introduced lizard species which might be
found in Florida.  This includes 13 geckos and 10 anoles.
I have photos of a few of them.


Many of the introduced lizards are found only in very small ranges -- sometimes
only in sections of Dade or Broward Counties (Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas).


Most of the introduced lizards in the eastern USA can be found in Florida.
In the Peterson Field Guide
 Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern/Central North America by
Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins, there are only two introduced
lizard in the eastern USA which are not found Florida.
These are the Common Wall Lizard and the
Italian Wall Lizard, both from Europe, which are established
in Cinncinnati and Long Island, NY respectively.










                               





                        





Brown Anole






 Anoles of Florida

Most-commonly seen lizard in south Florida. Length = 8"
Color and pattern vary.  Climbs in vegetation.










Knight Anole






 Anoles of Florida

Length = 18"  Usually on side of tree. Eats the smaller anoles.










Tropical House Gecko






Introduced Lizards in Florida

Length = 5"  Active at night.  Usually on sides of buildings around lights.











Green Iguana






Introduced Lizards in Florida

Huge lizard. Length = 6 feet.  Eats fruit.  Usually near water.
Climbs in branches overhanging water.

                       








                                                





Brown Basilisk






Introduced Lizards in Florida

Length = 2 feet.  Lives near water.  Called Jesus Christ Lizard for its
ability to run on surface of water.










Red-headed Agama






Introduced Lizards in Florida

Length = 12". Only in a few locations.  Very wary.










Northern Curly-Tailed Lizard






Introduced Lizards in Florida

Length = 11". Found in vicinity of ocean in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and
Martin Counties.
Holds tail in a curl.





               













Snakes    
Home