Giant Ameiva
The giant ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) is a large, fast, green and brown lizard of South America, active in the heat of the day. It has also been introduced to Florida.
The giant ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) is a large, fast, green and brown lizard of South America, active in the heat of the day. It has also been introduced to Florida.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Giant Ameiva in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Active Foragers
Ameivas dart across open ground searching for insects, spiders and small vertebrates, poking their snouts into leaf litter. They can run swiftly and hide in burrows. Their body temperature rises well above that of the air while hunting.
Teiid Lizards
The family Teiidae includes the whiptails and tegus. Like whiptails, ameivas hunt by chemical sensing with a forked tongue. See Six-lined Racerunner.
Introduced Populations
In southern Florida a population has persisted since the 1970s, although its effects on native wildlife appear to be limited so far.
Giant Ameiva at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ameiva ameiva |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Teiidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia (Reptiles) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Fast-moving ground lizard with a green back and pointed snout; constantly flicks its tongue while foraging in leaf litter. |
| Family | Teiidae |
| Activity | Diurnal active forager |
See Also
- Six-lined Racerunner — a related teiid
- Golden Tegu — a larger teiid