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what was that? lizard id needed

writersblock (9b/10a)

10 years ago

So today while I was out running errands I stopped at the Palm City Library, which of course was nearly deserted. On my way out, as I was passing along the sidewalk near the edge of the preserve area, something scooted out from under my feet. To give you an idea of the size of this thing, my first quick thought was, "Is that a ferret?" But it stopped and looked at me for a couple of seconds and I got a better look and this was no mammal at all.

It was a lizard about 18" long from stem to stern, banded in black and traffic barricade orange shading to yellow to white. I've never seen anything remotely like it before, especially not in FL. My first thought was Agama Agama, but the coloration was far more striking than any photo I've ever seen of one of those, and it didn't have that well-defined neck area that agama does, and it was definitely well over a foot long.

Unfortunately it zoomed away before I could collect myself enough to get a photo. Does anyone know what it could have been?

(I swear I haven't been sampling the eggnog yet.)

Comments (7)

brute
10 years ago
Probably another invasive from God-Knows-Where.
Florida is filling up with invasives. Nothing would surprise me anymore.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
10 years ago
Hmm - were stripes vertical or horizontal?

Here something I found after a quick image searchÃ¢ÂÂ¦.

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly lizard
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writersblock (9b/10a)
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi, Carol. No, they were large bands of color, something like this, only much more intense and not distributed quite this way:
bugbite
10 years ago
I am very sorry for this but I was looking for a picture of a lizard I took. Could not find it but ran across this photo. Again sorry for the detour, but he is orange shading to white. :-)
PS. That's not a picture I took. Wish it was.
Crenda 10A SW FL
10 years ago
Perhaps a juvenile Golden Tegu? These lizards can get big (3 foot long body alone) and like the monitor lizards, are invasive and established in Florida - especially around the Tampa and Miami areas. They cause the same type of destruction as monitor lizards, too. And you can still find them being sold as pets!

I can't find a picture of a juvie, but maybe this picture will help you determine if this is what you saw, although it looks more yellow than orange to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Tegu
writersblock (9b/10a)
Original Author
10 years ago
No problem, bugbite. I don't know what kind of squirrel that is, but I'm glad the ones around here aren't that cute.

Crenda, are the juveniles less stripy? If the markings on the young ones are like the markings in your link, at least it wasn't that, thank goodness.
Crenda 10A SW FL
10 years ago
I'm glad that isn't it, too! We're on water and have had iguanas and monitors here. I hope we don't see any tegus showing up next! The little geckos and anoles drive me crazy enough. We seem to have had a population explosion lately.

Good luck in IDing your lizard. I'm curious, too.

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