Florida is a sub-tropical climate with a vast ecosystem. The state, with its marshy swamps of the Everglades in the south and the wooded regions of north and central Florida, is teeming with lizards of all shapes and sizes.
Florida is home to about 20 varieties of lizard, both native and imported.
Geckos are commonly found in houses, while anoles and skinks can be found out and about in the yard or at the park. You might even see a brown basilisk run on water in the swampy marshland.
Lizards control the bug and insect population, and are generally a welcomed addition to Florida yards and homes where the warm, humid air becomes a breeding ground for pests in the warm months.
Some Florida lizards are bright green and orange with elaborate skin flaps around their neck that they can expand and retract. Others are less conspicuous and are brown and black or stripped for camouflage.
Florida lizards can be as small as a few centimeters to 9 feet long. Of course, the extremely big lizards are imported iguanas and monitor lizards that were probably once pets, which the owners let free.
