Curly-tailed plus Agama plus Basilisk from south FL

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Posted by TomSpinker on April 08, 2003 at 18:01:05:

Here are photos of three invasive lizards in south Florida.

Northern Curly-tailed Lizard

First is a Northern Curly-tailed lizard, Leiocephalus carinatus. This is native to the Bahamas. The lizard ususally curls its tail upward toward its body, sort of like a scorpion.
I took the photo on 3 April 2003, at noon, about a half-mile west of the main entrance to the Homestead Air Force Reserve Base. I have heard that these lizards are common along the Atlantic Ocean between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. This is the first one that I have seen.
I shot the photo through a chain-link fence which surrounds a small business. Lizard is on an asphalt parking area.
This lizard seemed quite calm and allowed me to approach it.
SVL about 5".

Next lizard is a Red-headed Agama, Agama agama, native to Africa.
Photo taken 28 Feb 2003 about 1:00 pm in a community north of Homestead known as The Redlands.
There are lots of these living on a deteriorating stone wall which surrounds a school property and also on an abandoned school building on the same property. I have never seen any other than on
this property or across the street from this property. It seems odd that they are found only in this one location. The only explanation that I can think of is that there is an Agama importer in the area (??) The Bartlett and Bartlett book says that this species is found in one location in Dade County (Miami and southward) and two locations in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale and northward).

These lizards are very wary. I could only get to within about 15 feet.

SVL about 7"

Red-headed Agama

And finally a Brown Basilisk, also known as Striped Basilisk, Basiliscus vittatus.
This species is native to southern Mexico and Central America.
I took this photo east of the Homestead Air Force Reserve Base on 3 April 2003 at about 10:30am. (About an hour and a half before I took the photo of the Curly-tailed Lizard. I bicycled in a loop around the Air Base that day.)

This species is abundant in the ditches between the Air Force Base and the Atlantic Ocean. It is fairly wary, but one can approach it if it feels secure in the vegetation.

SVL about 6"

All the photos are with a Pentax Spotmatic II.

Agama with 200mm lens, other two with 100mm lens. Film is Kodak Gold 200-6. Images scanned from negatives.

I only take photos and never touch any animal (except to remove a snake or
turtle from the road).

south Florida squamata and stuff

Follow Ups:

That agama is really cool! Thanks for posting! n/m johne 04/09/03 (0)

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Curly-tailed plus Agama plus Basilisk from south FL

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