Alligator Lizard

Habitat

Keep in a semi-moist terrarium with ample low climbing facilities and hiding places. Potting soil lightened with cypress mulch or orchid bark, with scattered coverings of sphagnum moss and plants, bark slabs and branches. Keep one area of substrate damp. Provide water bowl easy for lizard to get in and out of. Daytime temperatures should range from 70-80 F (21-26 C), with a basking area of 85-90 F (29-32 C). Nighttime temperatures should drop to 65-75 F (18-24 C). UVB lighting required, or regular access to unfiltered sunlight.

Food

Alligator lizards are insectivores, they feed mainly on arthropods, snails, and occasionally eggs. In captivity, larger Alligator lizards may feed on mice. Diet must be supplemented with multivitamins and calcium.

Handling

Do not handle very long and only when necessary. They may bite so be careful.

Young

Most species are egg layers, with females guarding their eggs.

Species

The 67 species of alligator lizards range throughout the world. The ones common to North America, the Gerrhonotus, includes 15 species ranging from southern Canada down through Central America. Members of the family Anguidae (and thus related to the Old and New World legless lizards), they look similar to the Gerrhosaurus, the plated lizards in the family Cordylidae, native to southern and eastern Africa. The different species range through a variety of habitats, generally frequenting moist areas of foothills and mountains, but also found ranging down into the drier grasslands, staying near rivers and streams. Secretive in nature, they hide under windfall, undergrowth, and in rocky crevices.

Description

Alligator lizards sport a flat, wedge-shaped head. There is little neck definition, with the body about the same width as the head. The legs are small, thin, and end in five fine toes. Notable is a distinct lateral fold running along their lower sides from the corner of their mouth to their tail. Their scales are large, slightly keeled, and shingled. Ground color is pale to medium brown with darker crossbands. They shed in one piece, like a snake.