''Leiocephalus carinatus'', commonly known as the northern curly-tailed lizard or saw-scaled curlytail, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Leiocephalidae ( curly-tailed lizard).

Geographic range

It is native to the Bahama Islands, the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. It was introduced intentionally in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

, in the 1940s in an attempt to control

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, and is now also present in a few other parts of the state. Another introduced population inhabits

Swan Islands, Honduras The Swan Islands ( or ''Islas del Cisne'', named ''Islas de las Pozas'' by Christopher Columbus in 1502) is a chain of three islands located in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, approximately northeast of the eastern coast of Honduras, with a comb ...

Description

Adults may attain a snout to vent length (SVL) of , or a total length, including the tail, of . The

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

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.

Behavior

An active, robust lizard, it is mostly

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

and will retreat into a

burrow file:Chipmunk-burrow (exits).jpg, An eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of Animal lo ...

or cavity when frightened. It prefers sunny areas with loose

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

. In the Cayman Islands a large captured specimen was observed to consistently burrow completely under the sand in a holding tank, even though a rock retreat was provided. The lizard also "played dead" when handled and remained completely motionless for a short while after being put down. ''Leiocephalus carinatus'' utilizes tail curling as an antipredator measure when being chased. This behavior is predominantly seen when the predator is distant, as it is an attempt to intimidate would-be pursuers; when the predator is close however, the lizard instead seeks immediate refuge.

Subspecies

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognized, including the

nominate race In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

: *''L. c. carinatus''

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, 1827 *''L. c. aquarius'' Schwartz & Ogren, 1956 *'' L. c. armouri'' Barbour & Shreve, 1935 *''L. c. cayensis'' Schwartz, 1959 *''L. c. coryi'' K.P. Schmidt, 1936 *''L. c. granti''

Rabb Rabb () is an Arabic word to refer to God as Lord The term is used by Arabs and Sikh Punjabis. This is related to the word “Rabbi” used by the Jews practicing Hebrew Judaism. In the Quran, God refers to himself as "Rabb" in several places. Whe ...

, 1957 *''L. c. hodsdoni'' K.P. Schmidt, 1936 *''L. c. labrossytus'' Schwartz, 1959, South Central Cuba, Playa Larga *''L. c. microcyon'' Schwartz, 1959 *''L. c. mogotensis'' Schwartz, 1959 *''L. c. virescens'' Stejneger, 1901 *''L. c. zayasi'' Schwartz, 1959 Schwartz, A., and R. Thomas. 1975. ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

Carnegie Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by List of people from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Pit ...

. 216 pp. (''Leiocephalus carinatus'', pp. 127-129.)

Geographic range

Description

Behavior

Subspecies

References

Further reading