lizards
INDEX
WHAT ARE LIZARDS?
LIZARD FEATURES
TYPES OF LIZARDS
BAHAMIAN LIZARDS AND CONSERVATION
LIZARDS OF ARDASTRA
WHAT ARE LIZARDS?
Lizards are the largest group of reptiles, consisting of about 3, 500 different species. Like most reptiles, they are mostly found in warm climates but the lizards are extremely adaptive and therefore can be found in many different habitats from deserts to thick forests, from coastal environments to mountainous ones. Lizards vary greatly in size, from a couple inches long to over 8 feet. Most lizards are carnivores, feeding on a variety of prey, some of the smaller species are omnivorous and a very small number, namely the iguanas, are herbivorous.
Return to Index.
LIZARD FEATURES
The typical lizard has a tail, four legs with five toes, external ear openings and moveable eyelids. However, lizards as a group are very diverse and some do not even have legs whereas others possess many more interesting features. But many do all share some interesting features.
Catch me by my tail
Most lizards are able to drop their tails and re-grow new ones. This is a very useful defense technique. The tail of a lizard has special breaking points along it. If a predator grabs a hold of the tail, powerful muscle contractions causes the tail to break straight through. The tail continues to wriggle in the predator’s grasp whilst the now free lizard can get away. Nearly all lizards are also capable of re-growing new tails but the new tail never grows back quite like the original.
Eye see the light!
Many lizards have a third “eye” on the tops of their heads called the Parietal eye. Though this eye cannot see images as our eyes can, it does detect light and enable the lizard to detect danger coming from above.
Who is your daddy?
Nearly all lizards reproduce via sexual reproduction, however, an interesting phenomenon occurs in certain species of lizards (namely Rock lizards, Geckos and Whiptails) where the female can produce young without the assistance of a male. When this occurs without the male all together it is called Parthenogenesis. In some circumstances sperm needs to be present but does not actually contribute to the genetics of the offspring, this is known as Gynogenesis.
Return to Index.
TYPES OF LIZARDS
Lizards are divided into 2 main groups, the Iguania lizards and the Scleroglossa or hard-tongued lizards.
Return to Index.
BAHAMIAN LIZARDS AND CONSERVATION
There are several different types of lizards that are native to the Bahamian islands. These include the Bahamian rock iguanas, as well as the many others as seen in the table below. Many others have been introduced over the years such as the House geckos (Memidactylus spp.), the Six-lined racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus), the Green anole (Anolis carolinensis) and most recently the Knight Anole (Anolis equestris).
|
Type of lizard
|
Species names and distribution in Bahamas
|
|
|
|
|
Curlytail lizards
|
Leiocephalus carinatus - several sub-species throughout Bahamas
Leiocephalus greenwayi - Plana Cay (endemic)
Leiocephalus iguae - Inagua
Leiocephalus jamaicensis
Leiocephalus loxogrammus - Rum cay
Leiocephalus psammodromus - Bastian cay
Leiocephalus punctatus
|
|
|
|
|
Dwarf geckos
|
Sphaerodactylus notatus - New Providence, Eleuthra & Abaco
Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus - Great Bahama bank & San Salvador
Sphaerodactylus caicosensis
Sphaerodactylus corticola
Sphaerodactylus iguanae - Inagua
Sphaerodactylus underwoodi
|
|
|
|
|
Croaking geckos
|
Aristelliger barbouri
Aristelliger hechti
|
|
|
|
|
Bark anoles
|
Anolis distichus
Anolis fairchildi (endemic)
Anolis olssoni
|
|
|
|
|
Brown anoles
|
Anolis sagrei - different sub-species throughout Bahamas
|
|
|
|
|
Other anoles
|
Anolis angusticeps
Anolis brunneus
Anolis scriptus
Anolis smaragilinus
|
|
|
|
|
Ameiva
|
Ameiva auberi - about 3 sub-species found throughout Bahamas
Ameiva maynardi - Great Inagua
|
Return to Index.
LIZARDS OF ARDASTRA
Ardastra has many native wild lizards that can be spotted around the gardens and also houses some iguanas and the curly-tailed lizard.
Curly-tailed lizard - Leiocephalus carinatus
Also known as the "Lion lizards", the Curly-tails inhabit the West Indies and includes about 20 different species of which 7 species and several sub-species are found throughout the Bahamas. These lizards are found in a wide variety of habitats from rocky shores and beaches to scrub and pine forests.
These are small lizards, barely reaching 7 inches on total length and as their name suggests, they are known for their curly tails that can be seen coiled like a scorpions tail. This posture is typical of the males during breeding season as a display to attract females and to deter other males. Tail curling has also been observed as an antipredatory role prehaps to deflect an attack onto the tail rather than the head.
Return to Index.
|
