Lizards of Georgia

1
Lizards of Georgia

• Identifying Characteristics, Geographic
  Distribution, and Natural History

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Family Anguidae

• Glass lizards and Alligator Lizards

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Ophisaurus attenuatusSlender glass lizard

• Longitudinal stripes below lateral groove
• Variable dorsal pattern
• Dry grasslands and dry open woodlands
• 98 or more scales along lateral groove
• Entire State

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Ophisaurus compressusIsland Glass Lizard

• Single dark longitudinal stripe on scale rows 3
  and 4 above the lateral groove
• No dark striped below groove
• Numerous white markings on neck
• 97 or fewer scales along lateral groove
• Atlantic coastal plain
• Tail not brittle

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Ophisaurus mimicusMimic Glass Lizard

• Middorsal stripe present
• Three or four rows of spots (sometimes stripes)
  separated by pale striped above the lateral
  groove
• 97 or fewer scales along lateral groove
• Lower coastal plain of GA

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Ophisaurus ventralisEastern Glass Lizard

• No middorsal stripe
• No striped below lateral groove
• White marks on neck (highly variable in
  shapesometimes in vertical lines)
• May look green
• Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont of GA

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Family Polychridae

• Anoles

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Anolis carolinensisGreen Anole

• Green, brown, purple, red, yellow, black
• Plain green hue and pink throat fan
• Entire state
• Most common in coastal plain

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Anolis sagreiBrown Anole

• Non-native species
• Brown lizard with a white stripe down its back
• I-75 and I-95 are corridors of invasion
• Rest areas

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Family Phrynosomatidae

• Spiny, tree, and side-blotched lizards

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Sceloporus undulatusFence lizard

• Gray or brown lizard
• Dark line on thigh
• Malegreenish blue on throat and sides of belly
• Femalewavy lines on back
• Entire state
• Arboreal Lizard

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Family Teiidae

• Whiptails and Racerunners

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Cnemidophorus sexlineatusSix Lined Racerunner

• Six light stripes
• No spots
• Active, bold lizard
• RUNS on hind legs
• Entire state
• Prefers dry sandy areas

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Family Scincidae

• Skinks

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Eumeces anthracinusCoal Skink

• Fat ground skink
• Four lines
• Broad black middorsal stripe
• One post mental scale
• Will dive underwater to escape
• NE GA and West central GA

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Eumeces egregiusMole Skink

• Six upper labials
• Tail red, orange, or brown
• Stripes highly variable
• Extremely secretive
• Burrows in sand
• Coastal Plain

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Eumeces fasciatusFive-lined Skink

• Five lineslessen with age but usually still
  visable
• Caudal scalesmiddle row enlarged
• Four labials anterior to the subocular
• Two enlarged postlabials
• Entire State---wide variety of habitats

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Eumeces inexpectatusSoutheastern Five-lined Skink

• Five lines---disappear in old males
• Lines narrow
• Caudal scales all about the same size
• Entire state except high mountains
• Dry habitats

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Eumeces laticepsBroadhead Skink

• Five lines---lessen with age
• Malesswollen jars
• Middle row of caudal scales enlarged
• 5 labials anterior to subocularno guaranteed
• No enlarged postlabials
• Entire state
• Uses standing dead trees as refugia

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Scincella lateralisGround Skink

• Small golden brown skink
• Dark dorsolateral stripes
• Will enter water to escape
• Entire state

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Family Amphisbaenidae

• Worm Lizards

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Rhineura floridanaFlorida Worm Lizard

• Looks like an earthworm
• No limbs, no ear openings, no external eyes
• Dry Sandy habitats
• One specimen in south central Georgia