Baby lizard season - 2019
 

This is always an interesting time of year around here when the baby lizards are hatching out and nearly every where you look. The apron for the garage seems to be a particularly hot spot for them, for some reason.

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All I ever see is the lousy brown ones. I've seen the green ones a time or two, but the other two I've never seen. Are they all pretty much the same size? Cute little buggers.........
Andy

Most of Florida has been taken over by the invasive Cuban brown anole, which tends to wipe out the native Carolina Green Anole that we have here in Wakulla County. Personally, I believe the green anoles are much more personable than the Cuban browns.

The first picture is of a Six Lined Racerunner, which really lives up to it's name when they want to skeedaddle from a perceived thread. Then can get up to 9 inches in length, but are very slim and streamlined. Most of the length will be the tail.

The second picture is the Green Anole, of course. 6 inches in length would be a rather large one.

And lastly, a Fence Lizard. They might get to 6 or 7 inches in length, but are a much more robustly build lizard than either of the two. Of the three, the fence lizards are absolutely the most personable and the easiest to get close to once they earn your trust.

We also have brown backed skinks, southeastern five lined skinks (which have brilliant blue tails, broadheaded skinks (which can get rather large, for a skink any way), mole skinks (including a rather rare pink tailed variety, and glass lizards. Only seen a few glass lizards, but I learned not to mess with them. Most lizards will drop their tails when they get agitated enough, as a defensive mechanism, but glass lizards are particularly prone to doing this when handled. It has to be traumatic for them, so I try not to disturb them when I see them. Years ago I actually had a rather large glass lizard come to alert me that I was burning down the woods from a fire I had left unattended. It was fortunate that he came to get me when he did. :ack2: It was rather odd that he just came up to me like he did from out of the woodline. Of course, it was probably just that I had burned up his home, and it was pure luck he headed over in my direction. But he sure did have a rather accusatory look on his face.

Are any of the lizards that we have in Florida poisonous! I sincerely hope NOT!
Andy

And is there any difference between Anoles, Skinks, and Lizards?
Andy

Well, not technically. But there are some lizards that have bites that there has been some evidence of possibly envenomation involved. Volunteers to test the bites are difficult to come by, apparently. The effects are nothing at all like that of a venomous snake bite, and more along the effect of pre-digestion of a feed prey item, reduced blood clotting, and rapid infection effects. The Komodo dragon is one of the more well known lizards to have this sort of effect on bitten prey.

There are only two "official" venomous lizards with actual known venom glands, which are not found around here. Gila monster is found in the southwest area of the USA and into northwestern Mexico. And the Mexican beaded lizard is found in Mexico down into Central America.

All skinks and anoles are lizards. "Lizards" cover a rather broad selection of variation in that type of reptile. Everything from little ground skinks to the rather large Komodo dragon.

Skinks and anoles differ substantially in appearance and general structure and habits. Skinks are generally shiny with smooth scalation, and anoles with a fine grain pebbly looking scale structure. Anoles can climb up smooth surfaces because of the pads on their toes, whereas skinks can only climb on surfaces where they can get purchase with their claws on their toes.