Florida Lizards

Florida Lizards are Abundant Throughout the State

Because of the warmth of temperatures in the state, there is a greater variety of Florida lizards than in most other states. Gecko lizards are often found in houses and if you visit any garden or park your are sure to come across skinks and anoles.

Here is a look at a few of the more common Florida lizards:

The Mediterranean Gecko is a small lizard like other geckos, only reaching a length of 12 centimeters. It is one of the Florida lizards that changes color--by day they are grayish with pink and brown spots but at night they are very light gray to white. They also have raised white spots on their bodies. While originally from Europe this gecko is now in Florida in high numbers. They are common around people and are often found in houses on the walls or ceiling. The Mediterranean gecko eats insects such as cockroaches and moths. When they open their mouths they sound like a chirping bird.

The Florida Worm Lizard is a suborder of the Squamata order along with lizards and snakes. They are of the species amphisbaenid. They look very much like a pink earthworm--more like an earthworm than a lizard because they have no eyes and no external limbs. They can grow up to fourteen inches long. Florida Worm Lizards have eyes that are covered with scales. They live in sandy soil, sand pine and longleaf pine-turkey oak forests. These Worm Lizards eat ants, termites and other little insects.

Green and Brown Anoles are both common Florida lizards. Green Anoles can be green, gray or brown and they have adhesive-type pads that enable them to be excellent climbers. You can often see them on decks, tree trunks or fence posts basking in the sun.
The are often caught, tamed and sold as pets. Brown Anoles are brown as one might expect with a yellow-spotted back and an orange, yellow or white dewlap on their throats. Originally from Cuba, they can now be found anywhere in Florida and are often seen close to Green Anoles on trees.

The Fence Lizard is another one of the more common Florida lizards. Males and females are different colors--the male is grayish brown with blue patches on the stomach and reddish traverse bars. The female is quite a bit darker and has eight traverse bars that are darkly colored. In size, they range from five to six and a half inches. Fence lizards appear to have many scales making them look rough-skinned. They are thus named because they are often seen basking on fence posts, as well as on woodpiles and rocks.

The Florida Scrub Lizard is a species who has been given the status of “threatened.” They are a small lizard, around five inches long, and are gray-brown in color with a dark side stripe and wavy bars on their backs. Adult males have patches of blue on the stomach and throat. Scrub Lizards are active year round and their territory often overlaps with that of the Fence Lizard even though they rarely come in contact with one another. They prefer sandy areas and spaces that are open because of fire or other causes. Scrub Lizards live off of grasshoppers, beetles and spiders. Since they cannot move through dense vegetative areas they are often impacted by housing growth and development.