Leiocephalus carinatus
Silhouette: Caleb M. Gordon · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Leiocephalus carinatus, commonly known as the northern curly-tailed lizard or saw-scaled curlytail, is a species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizard). It is native to the Bahama Islands, the Cayman Islands and Cuba. It was introduced intentionally in Palm Beach, Florida, in the 1940s in an attempt to control sugar cane pests, and is now also present in a few other parts of the state. Another introduced population inhabits Swan Islands, Honduras.
Adults may attain a snout to vent length (SVL) of 10.5 cm (4.1 in), or a total length, including the tail, of 26 cm (10 in). The dorsal scales 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.
An active, robust lizard, it is mostly terrestrial and will retreat into a burrow or cavity when frightened. It prefers sunny areas with loose rubble and rock. 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... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | San Antonio Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu | 🇵🇱 Poland |
No species of the same family or order lives in Everglades National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Curly-tailed Lizard sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 985 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to September
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Curly-tailed Lizard in Everglades National Park on a given day, against about 40% in December to February, the lowest months. Those are among Everglades National Park's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in March.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Curly-tailed Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Northern Curly-tailed Lizard sightings, Everglades National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 50%) and Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Curly-tailed Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Everglades National Park (985 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.
