Lizards in Florida: Native and Invasive Species Guide

Florida’s lizards at a glance

The Florida Museum of Natural History keeps a checklist of established lizards in the state. Florida is often described as having more established non-native reptiles and amphibians than anywhere else in the world.

Native lizards of Florida

Green anole

The green anole, or Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis), is Florida’s only native anole. It is slender and pointy-snouted, usually bright green, but it can change to brown when cool, stressed or resting. Males extend a pink throat fan, called a dewlap, and bob their heads to defend territories.

Since the brown anole arrived, green anoles have moved higher into trees and shrubs. In a well-known study on small Florida islands, scientists found that within about 15 years, roughly 20 generations, green anoles living alongside brown anoles had evolved larger toe pads with more sticky scales, helping them grip higher, thinner perches.

Skinks

Skinks are smooth, shiny lizards with small legs. The common five-lined skink, southeastern five-lined skink and broadhead skink are all native. Juveniles are black with five pale stripes and a bright blue tail that draws attention away from the body; if a predator grabs the tail, it breaks off, as explained in our article on why lizards drop their tails. Adults fade to brown, and breeding male broadhead skinks, the largest of the three, develop orange-red heads.

The tiny ground skink, often under 13 cm (5 in) long, rustles through leaf litter in shady gardens and woods. The Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi), only 10–13 cm (4–5 in) long with tiny legs, “swims” through loose sand on the ancient ridges of central Florida. It has been listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1987 and is classed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Florida also has native mole skinks with bright red or blue tails.

Glass lizards

Florida has four species of legless glass lizards, including the eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis), which can reach 108 cm (43 in), two-thirds of it tail. They look like snakes but have movable eyelids, ear openings and a groove along each side of the body. When grabbed, the tail can snap into pieces, which is the origin of the name. They are harmless and eat insects, spiders and snails.

Florida scrub lizard, fence lizard and racerunner

The Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) is found nowhere else in the world. This small, rough-scaled spiny lizard, about 13 cm (5 in) long, lives in sand pine and oak scrub on old dune ridges such as the Lake Wales Ridge and in Ocala National Forest. Because scrub has been cleared for citrus groves and housing, the IUCN lists it as Near Threatened. Its close relative, the eastern fence lizard, lives in north Florida and the Panhandle.

The six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) is a fast, striped lizard of open sandy ground, roadsides and beaches. It is active in the hottest part of the day and dashes away at the slightest movement.

Reef gecko and the Florida worm lizard

The reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus), found in the Florida Keys and the southern tip of the mainland, is widely considered Florida’s only native gecko. At only about 5–6 cm (2 in) long, it is one of the smallest lizards in North America.

The Florida worm lizard (Rhineura floridana) is not a true lizard but an amphisbaenian. Pink, legless and nearly blind, it lives underground and is often mistaken for a large earthworm when it is dug up or flushed out by heavy rain.

Non-native lizards of Florida

Brown anole

The brown anole (Anolis sagrei), native to Cuba and the Bahamas, is now the lizard most Floridians see every day. It is brown or gray with patterns of spots, bars or a pale stripe down the back, and males have a large orange-red dewlap edged in yellow. It probably spread around the state partly as eggs in the soil of potted plants and now lives in several other southern states. Brown anoles compete with young green anoles and eat them.

Knight anole

The knight anole (Anolis equestris) from Cuba is the world’s largest anole, 33–51 cm (13–20 in) long. It is bright green with a yellow or white stripe on the shoulder and a pink dewlap. It was first introduced in Coral Gables in 1952 and now lives in tall trees across much of South Florida. Like iguanas, knight anoles can drop from trees during cold snaps.

Green iguana

The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is the biggest lizard most visitors see in South Florida. Adults are typically 1.2–1.7 m (4–5.6 ft) long including the tail, and some males exceed 2 m (6.6 ft). Despite the name, adults are often gray, orange or brownish. Iguanas have lived in the wild in South Florida since at least the 1960s and are now common along canals, in parks and in the Florida Keys.

They are plant-eaters, but their burrows can undermine seawalls, sidewalks and canal banks. When temperatures drop below about 10°C (50°F) they become sluggish, and in hard cold snaps they can lose their grip and fall from trees; see why iguanas fall from trees. Read more in are iguanas invasive in Florida?

Argentine black and white tegu

The Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) is a large, heavy-bodied lizard with bold black-and-white bands, growing to about 1.2–1.4 m (4–4.5 ft) in males. Escaped and released pets established breeding populations in the 2000s, including in Hillsborough and Polk counties and in Miami-Dade County near the Everglades. Tegus eat fruit, insects, small animals and eggs, including the eggs of ground-nesting birds, turtles and alligators, which worries conservationists. Unlike most tropical lizards, they can survive cool winters by resting in burrows.

Geckos

Several geckos from around the world now live on Florida’s buildings, hunting insects around outdoor lights at night:

• Mediterranean house gecko: pale, warty and translucent, common on walls throughout the state.
• Indo-Pacific gecko: an all-female species that reproduces without males, so a single lizard can start a population.
• Tokay gecko: a large, blue-gray gecko with orange spots, known for its loud “to-kay” call and a strong bite.
• Tropical house gecko: a fast-spreading species from Africa, common in South Florida.

Their sticky toes let them run up walls and across ceilings; see how geckos climb walls.

Other newcomers

Florida also has established populations of the northern curly-tailed lizard from the Bahamas, which holds its tail curled over its back and was released in Palm Beach County in the 1940s; the brown basilisk, which can sprint across water on its hind legs; spiny-tailed iguanas; veiled and Oustalet’s chameleons in a few local areas; and the Nile monitor from Africa, which can grow beyond 2 m (6.6 ft) and lives around Cape Coral and other parts of South Florida.

How to tell common Florida lizards apart

• Green anole vs brown anole: the green anole is slimmer, with a longer snout and a pink dewlap, and can turn bright green. The brown anole is stockier and never green, with an orange-red dewlap.
• Skink or anole: skinks are shiny, smooth and low to the ground, and usually run for cover; anoles have rough-looking skin, climb and display from perches.
• Glass lizard or snake: look for eyelids that blink and small ear openings.
• Iguana or tegu: iguanas have a crest of spines down the back and spend time in trees and near water; tegus have no crest, are banded black and white, and move on the ground with a long, forked tongue flicking.

Lizards and people

Most Florida lizards are harmless and help by eating insects. None of Florida’s wild lizards is venomous, but large species such as iguanas, tegus and Nile monitors can bite, scratch and lash with their tails if handled or cornered, so watch them from a distance and never feed them. If anyone is seriously bitten, seek medical help or call 911. Florida’s snakes are covered in a separate guide.