LIZARDS, GECKOS
AND, SKINKS
Florida Lizard
Newcomers who spend any time in your Florida yard will notice a few unusual holdovers from the Dinosaur era. Children and pets love to play with our local lizards, while inside your home lizards are considered to be a nuisance. Many different kinds of lizards inhabit our landscapes. Lizards in the yard are a sign of a healthy landscape and will reduce the pest populations around your home.
Lizards are four-legged reptiles with a long scaly body, movable eyelids, and a long tapering tail, typically living in hot dry regions.
Lizards are a widespread group of reptiles, with more than 5,600 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. Sight is very important for most lizards, both for locating prey and for communication. Most lizards rely heavily on body language, using specific postures, gestures, and movements to define territory, resolve disputes, and entice mates. Some species of lizards also use bright colors, such as the iridescent patches on the belly. These colors would be highly visible to predators, so they are often hidden on the underside or between scales and only revealed when necessary. A particular innovation in this respect is the brightly colored patch of skin on the throat, usually hidden between scales. When a display is needed, a lizard can erect the hyoid bone of its throat, resulting in a large vertical flap of brightly colored skin beneath the head which can then be used for communication. Anoles (a type of gecko) are particularly famous for this display, with each species having specific colors, including patterns only visible under ultraviolet (UV) light, as many lizards can see UV light. Many lizard species are also capable of severing their tail when faced with danger, an act called autonomy. Although severing and re-growing tails is a strenuous process for a lizard, this mechanism is often used to save their lives.
South Florida has only one of the larger native lizard species. The 5 inch long rare Florida Scrub Lizard is a pale or grayish brown with two dark brown stripes that run from the head to its tail and is found mostly on the ground.
Geckos are small to medium sized, smooth, nocturnal insect-eating lizard with a long thin body and small limbs. They emerge at night to catch insects around outdoor lights, clinging to walls and windows. There are more than 2,000 know species of geckos, and many more are likely undiscovered. Not normally thought of as a North American species with many species have been introduced, there are geckos that are native to Florida,
The reef gecko is the smallest native North American lizard found in the Florida Keys.
The Green Anole, 5-8 inches long, is the most common local native lizard. Often mistaken for a non-native chameleon, the Green Anole inhabits tree and shrubs, changing color from emerald green to a medium or dark brown.
The Brown Anole is similar looking but more abundant than the green anole. It was accidentally introduced from the West Indies in the early 1900’s.
Skinks are smooth, shiny lizards with tiny limbs and cylindrical bodies. Usually they have very stubby legs with long bodies, and look pretty snake-like. Skinks are small tropical lizard or subtropical nocturnal insect-eating lizards with hooked ridges on the pads of its feet that permit it to climb smooth vertical surfaces. The Florida Sand Skink, the Glass Lizard, the Southeastern Five-lined Skink and the Ground Skink are native to Florida.
Too often Lizards, Geckos, and Skinks are feared or found to be a nuisance. If found around your home, do your best to share your space with them, they can work for you, they are natures pest control agents. But, if you wish to keep Lizards, Frogs, or Toads away from your home or business, Collier Pest Control has a monthly Frog and Lizard Repellant Treatment to keep Lizards, Frogs, and Toads away from your home or business.
If you live in Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, or anywhere in beautiful Southwest Florida and want a full explanation on our Lizard, Frog Repellant Treatment call our office or look us up on our website at collierpestcontrol.com. Remember, Florida does not have to be shared with pests.
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