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lizards (Lacertilia)

The suborder Lacertilia/Sauria (lizards) in the order Squamata includes at least 6145 species; it accounts for the largest group of living reptiles. The Squamata order also includes the suborders Amphisbaenia (worm lizards) and Ophidia/Serpentes(snakes). Most lizards are  tetrapod, though some are legless. Most lizards are oviparous although viviparous and parthenogenetic lizards exist. A number of clades exist within the suborder Sauria/Lacertilia, including Iguania, Gekkota, Scincomorpha, Anguimorpha, and Amphisbaenia. These clades are further broken down into families, of which the Iguanidae, Agamidae, Varanidae, Scincidae, Chamaeleonidae, and Gekkonidae contain the vast number of species. The family Scincidae contains the largest number of species (approximately 20% of all lizard species), whereas other families such as the Helodermatidae contain only two species. Lizards are extremely successful reptiles and inhabit myriad habitats worldwide, ranging from desert to aquatic, temperate to tropical, fossorial to arboreal. Lizards have evolved to effectively take advantage of all these different habitats. As would be expected with such a large and varied taxa, dramatic variations in anatomy, physiology, dietary strategy, and reproduction exist among species.

Species which have been verifiably observed in the Park are marked with the symbol:

Glass Lizards - Family Anguidae

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Eastern Slender Glass Lizard
(Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus)

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Mimic Glass
Lizard

(Ophisaurus mimicus)

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Eastern Glass
Lizard

(Ophisaurus ventralis)

Geckoes - Family Gekkonidae

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Turkish (Mediterranean) House Gecko
(Hemidactylus turcicus)

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Indo-Pacific
Gecko

(Hemidactylus garnotii)

Spiny Lizards and Allies - Family Phrynosomatidae

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Eastern Fence Lizard
(Sceloporus undulatus)

Anoles - Family Polychridae

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Northern Green Anole
(Anolis carolinensis carolinensis)

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Brown Anole
(Norops sagrei)

Skinks - Family Scincidae

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Northern Mole Skink
(Plestiodon egregius similis)

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Broad-Headed Skink
(Plestiodon laticeps)

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Southeastern Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon inexpectatus)

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Five-Lined Skink
(Plestiodon faciatus)

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Ground Skink
(Scincella lateralis)

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Racerunners - Family Teiidae

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Eastern Six-lined Racerunner
(Aspidoscelis sexlineatus sexlineatus)

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