Description: Adults may attain a snout to vent length (SVL) of 4.1 inches, or a total length, including the tail, of 10 inches. The dorsal scales are keeled and pointed. L. carinatus resembles lizards of the genus Sceloporus, but with the tail usually curled upward, especially when the lizard is in a horizontal position on rocks or on the ground.
Habitat: Xerophilic; mostly coastal but also in low uplands on Cuba; among logs and debris; favors diente de perro limestone areas with sand interstices; cacti, mogotes, windrows of broken coral on beaches, sea cliffs, quarries, in and about human habitation, on driftwood, in old rock walls, beaches; juveniles sometimes found partially buried in sand under rocks. Open woods, coconut strands, beach dunes, lawns, gardens; terrestrial and arboreal.
Range: It was originally found only on Grand Bahama Island and the Abacos, but was released intentionally in Palm Beach, Florida in the 1940s. It has since spread, and now lives widely in southern Florida in addition to places in Bahamas.
Diet: Eats mainly invertebrates. Omnivorous; eats flowers of IPOMOEA and other plants, buds, seeds, small fruits, anoline lizards, terrestrial crustaceans, spiders, beetles, roaches, ants.
Reproduction: Lays eggs in midsummer (captives have laid in spring). Incubation 51 to 74 days. Major period of hatching apparently mid-July.
Status:Leiocephalus carinatus is assessed as Least Concern because of its wide distribution and tolerance of a variety of habitats, including anthropogenic environments. Further research is needed to clarify whether localized declines are taking place.
Subspecies: One in our region:
Little Bahama Curly-tailed Lizard - (Leiocephalus carinatus armouri)
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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