Curly Tail Florida Lizards Identification

The rotund lizard that natalie claunch a ph d.

Curly tail florida lizards identification. Curly tail lizards that have since invaded populated areas of florida have been known to eat just about any kind of food humans have thrown out. Adults may attain a snout to vent length svl of 10 5 cm 4 1 in or a total length including the tail of 26 cm 10 in. Popular in the pet trade the curly tail lizard is native to the bahamas and was introduced to florida in the 1940 s to combat sugar cane pests. The curly tailed lizards vary in size depending.

In the wild they are an important part of the ecosystem as they provide food for large predators like birds of prey or carnivorous animals. The dorsal scales are keeled and pointed. Carinatus resembles lizards of the genus sceloporus but with the tail usually curled upward especially when the lizard is in a horizontal position on rocks or on the ground. The curly tailed lizards are native to the west indies with the extant living species in the bahamas turks and caicos cayman islands cuba hispaniola haiti and the dominican republic and nearby small islands.

Student and herpetologist natalie claunch said the lizard was. Additionally leiocephalus carinatus and leiocephalus schreibersii have been introduced to florida. Their curled tail which is held up in the air easily identifies them. Curly tails are sturdy robust looking lizards that sometimes grow to a length of 28 cms 11 inches.

Enlarge image university of florida ph d. The most obvious candidate for harm is the green anole but it s already been forced out of its normal habitat by the more aggressive and non native brown anole. Curly tailed lizards are a popular and attractive pet lizard species that were released in florida during the 1940s to bring the population of sugarcane pests down. The omni presence of curly tail lizards in much of south florida can be blamed on several things including pet owners the sugar industry and even a zoo escape.