Ophisaurus compressus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The island glass lizard (Ophisaurus compressus) is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. O. compressus is found in Florida, southeastern Georgia, and southeastern South Carolina. Island glass lizards can be found in coastal sandy scrub areas, as well as adjacent pine flatwood habitats.
O. compressus can reach adult lengths of 15–24 inches. They can be distinguished from other Ophisaurus by a single dark stripe along both sides of the body, just above the lateral groove, and a single dark middorsal stripe which may sometimes appear more broken than solid. They also have many light vertical bars along the side of the neck that are more prominent and numerous than those on the Eastern Glass Lizard (O. ventralis).
O. compressus differs from other members of Ophisaurus in that they do not have fracture planes in the caudal vertebrae, which allow most Ophisaurus and many other lizards to easily shed their tails to evade predation. O. compressus is oviparous.
Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Island Glass Lizard sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Island Glass Lizard in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in April and September–January, the lowest months. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in June.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Island Glass Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Island Glass Lizard sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Island Glass Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
