Tropical Amphisbaenians &

Lizards 3-15-06

Scurries among the leaves

The Two-headed Lizard, Amphisbaena alba – Trinidad. Amphisbaenas are now equivalent in taxonomic category to lizards.

Two species of true chameleons, genus Chameleo – Africa.

Chameleons have laterally compressed bodies, prehensile tails, and zygodactyl feet (three toes are fused, and oppose two fused toes, thus allowing for maximum efficiency for walking on a twig.

Lizards change colors by a combination of factors, but amoeboid movement of melanin is most common and secondarily affects other colors.

Neotropical lizards that are closely allied to and look like our Anolis are in the genus Norops - Belize

Brown Anole, Norops sagrei

Brown Anole, Norops sagrei

Anoline dewlaps are important in species recognition, so they vary

The dewlap, or throat fan, is widely used in lizards, but most highly developed in the anoline lizards. It is “opened” by movement of hyoid cartilages.

The following Norops dewlaps were scanned from Jay Savage’s new book on the herps of Costa Rica.

Norops altae

Norops biporcatus

More from Savage:

Norops capitoNorops cupreus

Norops humilisNorops intermedius

Still more from Savage:

Norops pentaprion

Norops polylepisNorops sericeus

Norops oxylophus

Norops tropidolepis

Two more from Savage: Both of these are the same male Norops woodi, showing its ability to change the color of its dewlap.

Jen Clark & her adornments

Tropidurus plica – N South America

A Tropidurus plica ready to escape.

Tropidurus plica is very cryptic.

The only iguanid lizard from the Old World, Brachylophus from Fiji

Basilisk lizards are very common in Central America.

Basiliscus plumbifrons – from Savage

Basiliscus biporcatus – from Henderson

Basilisks are called “Jesus lizards” because they can walk (run) on water.

They have flaps on their toes that open and give more surface area since they rapidly run, bipedally, over the water.

I’ve seen them run more than 30 ft over the surface.

Elegant Helmeted Basilisk, Corytophanes cristatus - Belize

Corythophanes hernandezi, Cockscomb.

Sceloporus variabilis male.

Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus - Galápagos

Land Iguana, Conolophus subcristatus - Galápagos

Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura similis - Belize

Can you see why they are called spiny-tails?

Iguana, Iguana iguana iguana - Belize

Iguana Conservation Project, Belize Zoo: An attempt to offset the raided nests (see below) and over harvesting for food by the Maya.

Rainbow Lizard, Agama agama - Kenya

Lizard foot shape is an indication of how they move, and on what surfaces.

Gecko toe pad (l) & magnification of structure (r)

Gecko toes work the same, but there are many varieties.

Science News 8-31-02

Yucatán Banded Gecko, Coleonyx elegans - Guatemala

Thecadactylus rapidacauda, a common house gecko.

One of Belize’s tiniest lizards, Dwarf Gecko, Sphaerodactylus glaucus

Gonatodes caecilae

Island Leaf-toed Gecko, Phyllodactylus insularis – Half Moon Caye, Belize (only)

Festive Ameiva, Ameiva festiva - Belize

Tegú, Tupinambis teguixin - Trinidad

The largest lizard in the world, the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

Mabuya unimarginata – Maya Centre, Belize.

Kenyan Mabuya:

Many lizards can lose their tails and regenerate them. When this happens, the break occurs along a fracture plane in a caudal bone, and blood vessels and nerves immediately pinch off. The regenerated tail will have cartilage, not bone.

Fini