Rainforest reptiles list, with facts and pictures. Discover the amazing reptiles that live in the world’s tropical rainforests, including deadly snakes, flying lizards, and fearsome crocodilians!
The rainforest is home to an incredible diversity of reptile life, especially lizards. Thriving in the warm, humid environment, over 450 species of lizards make their home in rainforests around the world. Let’s explore some of the most common and unique lizard species found living amongst the trees and leaf litter of these tropical forests.
Terrestrial Lizards Roaming the Forest Floor
Several species of lizards inhabit the ground layer of the rainforest These terrestrial lizards crawl amongst the leaf litter and hide under logs searching for insect prey,
The Amazon Racerunner is a commonly encountered lizard scrambling around the rainforest floor Growing up to 20 inches long, these agile, long-tailed lizards can reach impressive speeds Their brown or green scaled bodies help provide camouflage against the foliage.
Whiptail lizards are also frequently seen darting across the forest floor. Species like the Striped Whiptail have distinct light stripes contrasting against their dark scales while others like the Forest Whiptail have bright green heads and striping. These long skinny lizards use their quick speed to capture insects and spiders.
Climbing Lizards Living in Trees
Many lizard species in the rainforest habitat spend their lives climbing amongst branches and vines. These arboreal lizards have adaptations like sticky toe pads to help grip onto bark and leaves.
Chameleons are specialist climbers, using their zygodactyl feet and prehensile tails to hold firmly to branches. Although they aren’t the color changing species people associate with chameleons, rainforest chameleons like the Brookesia still have cryptic camouflage to help them blend into vegetation.
Geckos are abundant tree climbing residents of the rainforest. Some smaller species, like the Amazon Pygmy Gecko, inhabit leaves and bark crevices on branches. Larger geckos, like the Turnip-Tailed Gecko, crawl along trunks and can grow over 6 inches long. Many geckos have toe pads with microscopic hairs that allow them to cling to almost any surface.
Unique Lizards With Strangely Shaped Bodies
Some of the most bizarre looking lizards inhabit tropical rainforests, where high biodiversity has led to strange body modifications.
The sungazers, a type of legless lizard, have extremely reduced limbs and long snakelike bodies. Using concertina locomotion, they laterally bend their bodies to move through leaf litter with ease.
Limbless skinks like the Brazilian Legless Lizard look even more snake-like, having completely lost their limbs through evolution. These slithering lizards use rapid side-to-side motions to burrow through soil and sand.
Worm lizards have taken body elongation to the extreme, looking more like earthworms than reptiles. Species like the Brown Worm Lizard have vestigial limbs and can grow up to 16 inches long. Their slim, limbless bodies enable them to slide through narrow cracks and tunnels in the ground.
Lizards Camouflaged With Rainforest Colors
Blending in with their surroundings provides rainforest lizards protection from predators. Many species exhibit camouflaging colors and patterns that help them disappear against bark and leaves.
The Green Iguana perfectly matches the vibrant green hues of foliage with its bright green body and tail. Even young iguanas possess this vivid coloration, helping conceal them amongst leaves as they cling to branches.
Various anole species camouflage using cryptic patterns that resemble leaf venation and lichen growth on bark. Bark Anoles have grayish bodies with darker markings, while other anoles like the Slender Amazon Anole have yellowish scales dotted with black.
Leaf-tailed geckos and leaf lizards mimic plant parts even further. Leaf-tailed geckos in Madagascar have flattened, leaf-shaped tails that obscure their body outline when viewed from below. Tropical leaf lizards like Polychrus marmoratus resemble leafy vegetation so convincingly they are hard to distinguish from actual leaves.
Lizards Showing Brilliant Display Colors
While camouflage is key for rainforest reptiles, some lizards have also evolved brilliant display colors used to attract mates and defend territories. These vividly colored patches of skin are often extended into throat fans and frills used for communication.
Male anole lizards will extend a fan of skin called a dewlap to signal dominance and courtship. Depending on the species, anoles will flash dewlaps of bright reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows from their throats when displaying.
Other lizards like chameleons and basilisks have more permanent headgear and extensions used to display. Sailfin lizards like the Green Basilisk have a tall crest running along their back that can be raised for display. Male chameleons frequently have larger crests and horns used to assert dominance over rivals and impress potential mates.
This snapshot highlights the diversity of lizards making their home in tropical rainforests. Ranging from tiny geckos to large iguanas, rainforest lizards have adapted in many ways to thrive in this hot, humid habitat. Their unique morphologies and survival strategies enable an abundance of lizards to exploit the niche spaces available in the complex rainforest ecosystem.
What is a Reptile?
Reptiles are cold-blooded, air-breathing animals with scaly skin. The majority of reptiles lay eggs, but some give birth to live young.
The world’s rainforests are home to many amazing reptiles. On this page you’ll find a list of tropical rainforest reptiles. These species live in warm, moist forests located on or near the Equator.
The reptiles on this page reflect the wide variety of species in Reptilia, from turtles to flying snakes – and everything in-between!
- You can find out about more rainforest animals (including more reptiles) here: Rainforest Animals List.
- Discover some amazing rainforest mammals here: Rainforest Mammals List.
- Become an animal expert! Visit our main animals page: Animals: The Ultimate Guide.
Tropical Rainforest Reptiles List: Introduction
Reptiles are members of the animal class Reptilia. Reptiles first appeared around 300 million years ago. During the Mesozoic Era reptiles – in the shape of dinosaurs – were the dominant land animals.
All this changed around 66 million years ago, when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. (Well, not all of them; some dinosaurs evolved into birds.)
- Visit our main dinosaur page for dinosaur facts, pictures, in-depth information and lists: Dinosaurs – The Complete Guide
- Want to be an reptile expert? Visit our Reptile Section
Although mammals filled many of the niches previously taken by the dinosaurs, reptiles didn’t disappear entirely. In fact, early turtles, snakes and crocodiles co-existed with the dinosaurs. These groups didn’t become extinct at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Their descendants are still around today, relatively unchanged.
Wildlife Instincts: Survival Techniques – Iguana vs. Basilisk | Free Documentary Nature
FAQ
What lizard lives in the rainforest?
| Scientific name | Common name |
|---|---|
| Tropidurus plica | Collared Tree Lizard |
| Tropidurus torquatus | Amazon Lava Lizard |
| Tropidurus umbra ochrocollaris | Blue-Lipped Tree Lizard |
| Tupinambis teguixin | Golden Tegu,Tegu |
What is the largest lizard in the Amazon rainforest?
Varanus komodoensis
Komodo dragons are the largest, heaviest lizards in the world and one of the few with a venomous bite. They rely heavily on their sense of smell, using their forked tongues to sample the air.
What are the green lizards in the Amazon rainforest?
Green iguana. The green iguana is wide ranging and can be found from Mexico through to Central and South America. They are seen as invasive animals in southern Florida and Hawaii. They live in humid, tropical rainforests, and prefer to live high up in the tree canopy.
Which rainforests have reptiles & lizards?
Southeast Asian Rainforests: Spanning countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, these rainforests house reptiles like the Reticulated Python and the Flying Draco Lizard. Madagascar Rainforests: Known for endemic species like the Panther Chameleon and Parson’s Chameleon.
Why do lizards live in the rainforest?
Lizards love the rainforest for warmth, humidity, and food abundance. Thousands of species live here, most yet undiscovered. Terra-firma (solid ground), flooded areas, and trees themselves offer a good habitat for lizards to live and thrive in the rainforest. Many species are found in South America and Central America and can live long lives here.
What lizards live in Madagascar?
sMadagascar is an island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa. It’s also an area that offers rainforest habitat for many different lizard species (and other reptiles). The Madagascar day gecko is one of the smaller lizards that can be found on this island. Photo licensed to Reptile Knowledge Tokay gecko
What lizards live in the Amazon Basin?
The Amazon Basin in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela is home to The Amazon Bark Anole (Anolis ortonii). A species that comes in different colors, the anole grows to 5 inches. As a species of The Amazonian rainforest, the lizard can be recognized by its dewlap, highly colorful in this case. The rest of its body isn’t colorful at all.
How many Amazon rainforest lizards are there?
There are just over 100 different Amazon Rainforest lizards including the familiar favorites.
How long do lizards live in the rainforest?
Terra-firma (solid ground), flooded areas, and trees themselves offer a good habitat for lizards to live and thrive in the rainforest. Many species are found in South America and Central America and can live long lives here. It’s not atypical for the lizards of the rainforest to live at least 10 years.