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Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Leiocephalidae  
Northern Curly-tailed Lizard
Leiocephalus carinatus Gray, 1827
LAY-oh-SEF-ah-lus — kar-ee-NAY-tus
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SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Native to Cuba, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Honduras. It was introduced in Georgia (Brennan et al., 2022, Herpetological Review 53: 272–273) and established during the 1930s at the Opa-Locka Zoo, Miami-Dade County, Florida (Barbour, 1936, Copeia 1936: 113). It was subsequently introduced as a biological control (Weigl et al., 1969, Copeia 1969: 841–842) and via the pet trade (Duellman and Schwartz, 1958, Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Biological Sciences. 3: 181–324; King, 1960, Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Science 23: 71–73) and has since been found from Key West, Monroe County north to Jacksonville, Duval County (Alfonso and Krysko, 2019, Leiocephalus carinatus armouri. Pages 391–393 in Krysko et al. (Editors) Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida). The English name Saw-scaled Curlytail is used by Hedges et al. (2019, Caribbean Herpetology (67): 1–53). (Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

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Open icons indicate questionable records, including those with coordinate uncertainty greater than 10,000 m (approximately 6 miles). Click a marker to view metadata.
Occurrences:; 14,970 Total; 2,011 Museum; 12,959 Other

The locality database contains 8,094,832 records, and geographic and taxonomic errors exist. Logged-in, registered users may report a potential issue directly from the marker popup.
Shaded range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH. (Version: 2026.03.31.14.17.48)
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: Florida

Taxonomic Etymology:
A lizard with keeled scales and a distinctive curled tail.
Leiocephalus — From Greek leios (λεῖος), “smooth,” and kephalē (κεφαλή), “head.” The name means “smooth head,” referring to the relatively smooth scalation of the head compared to the rest of the body.
carinatus — From Latin carinatus, “keeled.” Refers to the pronounced keels (raised ridges) on the dorsal body scales.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Lyon Lizard (Lacertus griseus: Catesby, Mark. 1754. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants: Particularly the Forest-trees, Shrubs, and other Plants, not Hitherto Described, or Very Incorrectly Figured by Authors. Together with Their Descriptions in English and French. To which, are Added Observations on the Air, Soil, and Waters: with Remarks upon Agriculture, Grain, Pulse, Roots, &c. To the Whole, is Prefixed a New and Correct Map of the Countries Treated of. , London. pp.); Bahaman Crested Lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Green Cay Crested Lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus virescens: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Saw-scaled Curlytail (Leiocephalus carinatus: Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. 2019. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53);


Selected References:
1827 Gray, John E. A description of a new genus and some new species of saurian reptiles; with a revision of the species of chameleons. The Philosophical magazine : Or Annals of chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, natural history and general science 2:207-214
1936 Barbour, Thomas. Two introduced lizards in Miami, Florida. Copeia 1936(2):113
1958 Duellman, William E. and Albert Schwartz. Amphibians and reptiles of southern Florida. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Biological Sciences. 3(5):181–324
1960 King, F. Wayne. New populations of West Indian reptiles and amphibians in southeastern Florida. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 23:71–73
1969 Weigl, G. L., R. G. Domey, and W. R. Courtenay, Jr. Survival and range expansion of the Curly-tailed Lizard, Leiocephalus carinatus armouri, in Florida. Copeia 1969:841–842
2019 Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53
2022 Brennan, Michael, Lance McBrayer, John Carroll, Kenneth L. Krysko, and Amy A. Yackel Adams. New state and county records of introduced amphibians and reptiles of Georgia, USA. Herpetological Review 53(2):272–273.

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