Thanks to the ocean surrounding it on all sides, Florida maintains temperatures suitable for over 50 species of lizards. This doesn’t just include native species like the green anole, the eastern glass lizard, and the mole skink. Several invasive species have also made the “Sunshine State” their home.
Lizards of Florida
Agamids
- Butterfly Lizard
- Common Agama
- Indo-Chinese Forest Lizard
- Oriental Garden Lizard
American Legless Lizards
- Eastern Glass Lizard
- Island Glass Lizard
- Mimic Glass Lizard
- Slender Glass Lizard
Anoles
- Bark Anole
- Brown Anole
- Common Puerto Rican Anole
- Crested Anole
- Cuban Green Anole
- Green Anole
- Hispaniolan Green Anole
- Hispaniolan Stout Anole
- Jamaican Giant Anole
- Knight Anole
- Large-headed Anole
Basilisk Lizards
Chameleons
Curlytail Lizards
- Hispaniolan Curlytail Lizard
- Northern Curlytail Lizard
Geckoes
- Ashy Gecko
- Bibron’s Thick-toed Gecko
- Common House Gecko
- Flat-tailed House Gecko
- Florida Reef Gecko
- Gold Dust Day Gecko
- Golden Gecko
- Indo-Pacific Gecko
- Madagascan Day Gecko
- Madagascan Giant Day Gecko
- Mediterranean House Gecko
- Mourning Gecko
- Ocellated Gecko
- Tokay Gecko
- Tropical House Gecko
- White-spotted Wall Gecko
- Yellow-headed Gecko
Horned Lizards
Iguanas
Monitor Lizards
North American Worm Lizards
Skinks
- Broad-Headed Skink
- Coal Skink
- Common Five-lined Skink
- Florida Sand Skink
- Little Brown Skink
- Mole Skink
- Ocellated Skink
- Rainbow Mabuya
- Rough Mabuya
- Southeastern Five-lined Skink
Spiny Lizards
- Eastern Fence Lizard
- Florida Scrub Lizard
Tegu
- Argentine Black-and-white Tegu
Whiptail Lizards
- Giant Ameiva
- Rainbow Whiptail
- Six-lined Racerunner
Most Common Lizard: Brown Anole
Invasive Species: Common agama, green iguana, Argentine black-and-white tegu, brown anole, common house gecko, Mediterranean house gecko, black spiny-tailed iguana, Nile monitor, knight anole, tropical house gecko, tokay gecko, brown basilisk, veiled chameleon, northern curlytail lizard, etc.
Biggest Lizard: Argentine Black-and-white Tegu
Smallest Lizard: Florida Reef Gecko
FAQs
1. Are there poisonous lizards in Florida? None of the lizards in Florida are poisonous, but bites from some species can cause rashes and irritations.
2. Why does Florida have so many lizards? Most of the species in the state are not native to Florida. They were either brought by settlers as pets or accidentally brought by traders. Thanks to the state’s tropical climate, most of these invasive species found Florida a suitable place where they could thrive.
