Fun Northern Curly Tailed Lizard Facts For Kids

The northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus) is a type of lizard that can be found in Cuba and the Cayman Islands, among many others. The northern curly-tailed lizard diet range from small invertebrates, and insects to flowers and plants.

It is omnivorous. The habitat regions of these lizards include areas or environments that are sunny.

It belongs to the genus of Leiocephalus and the family of Leiocephalidae. The body of this species is covered with scales and is pale in color, in the shade of brownish gray.

This lizard's tail is one of its most unique physical characteristics. It uses its tail to intimidate its predators and sends signals to other individuals.

Spring is considered to be the breeding season for these lizards and by the end of summer, females lay several clutches consisting of three to four eggs. After hatching of the eggs occurs, offspring are born.

This species was later introduced in the Palms beach of Florida in 1940, following a surge in the number of sugar cane pests. The northern curly-tailed lizard is currently listed as of Least Concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Keep on reading to know more about the northern curly-tailed lizards. Check out monitor lizard facts and water dragon facts to learn more about other animals.

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Northern Curly Tailed Lizard  Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a northern curly-tailed lizard?

The northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus)  is a type of lizard that is native to the regions of the Bahama Islands, among many others.

What class of animal does a northern curly-tailed lizard belong to?

The northern curly-tailed lizards belong to the Reptilia class of animals and family of Leiocephalidae.

How many northern curly-tailed lizards are there in the world?

The exact number of northern curly-tailed lizards worldwide is not yet known. However, currently, there has been no drastic decline in their numbers and they are far away from the threat of extinction in the near future.

Where does a northern curly-tailed lizard live?

The habitat region of these lizards ranges from the Bahamas Islands, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. Some of them can also be found in the Swan Islands of Honduras. It was introduced to Florida in 1940.

What is a northern curly-tailed lizard's habitat?

The northern curly-tailed lizards can be found in regions that are mostly sunny, that is, where there is a sufficient amount of warmth for them to rest comfortably. When they feel threatened, they tend to hide inside burrows or under rocks, to protect themselves from other predators.

Who do northern curly-tailed lizards live with?

Not much is known about the movement of the northern curly-tailed lizard. However, lizards are typically solitary creatures and do not form large groups while traveling. They come together only during the breeding season.

How long does a northern curly-tailed lizard live?

Introduced in the regions of Florida in 1940, the average lifespan of the northern curly-tailed lizard is eight years in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

Not much is known about how this species of lizards reproduce. Spring is considered to be the breeding season for this season and by the end of summer, the females lay eggs. Males often indulge in aggressive behavior during this period of the year. Females are known to lay several clutches consisting of three or four eggs.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of this species is of Least Concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There have been no reports of any decline in its number and it maintains a stable population worldwide.

Northern Curly Tailed Lizard Fun Facts

What do northern curly-tailed lizards look like?

The northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus) is a small-sized species of lizard. The body of this species is rather dull in color, with a shade of pale brownish gray.

Some even have yellow spots on the sides of their body. One of their most prominent features, from where they derive their name, is that this lizard's tail is almost always curled up.

How cute are they?

Introduced in the regions of Florida in 1940, these lizards are not at all cute, although, they might possess unique characteristics. The most natural instinct of a human being on seeing a lizard is to get scared and run from that place as fast as possible. However, still, they are kept as a pet in many households.

How do they communicate?

These lizards make extensive use of its tail while communicating with each other. When they feel threatened, they tend to curl their tails in a manner that is similar to that of a scorpion.

This form of behavior is displayed to intimidate the approaching predator and has proved to be effective many times. Sometimes, they also curl their tails when they want to send signals to other individuals.

How big is a northern curly-tailed lizard?

An adult individual of this species has a body length of 10 in (26 cm). The northern curly-tailed lizard sizes differ from male to female, where females are slightly shorter in size than the males. They are slightly shorter than a frilled lizard but much shorter than a monitor lizard.

How fast can a northern curly-tailed lizard move?

Although the exact speed of these lizards is not known, they are considered to be fast-moving animals. Especially when they feel threatened, or sense any approaching threat, they become alert and try to evade the predator as fast as possible.

How much does a northern curly-tailed lizard weigh?

The weight of the northern curly-tailed lizard is not yet known.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no gender-specific name for this species of lizards or any other species of lizards in general. Males are called the male northern curly-tailed lizard and females are known as the female northern curly-tailed lizard.

What would you call a baby northern curly-tailed lizard?

Baby northern curly-tailed lizards are called hatchlings.

What do they eat?

Native to the region of the Bahamas, this species of lizard, known for its curled tail, is omnivorous by nature. The diet of the northern curly-tailed lizard range from small invertebrates, and insects to flowers, and fruits.

They eat almost anything that is put in front of them, even human food. This uneven diet, in turn, has taken a toll on their health, as much of the food that they consume, affects their health in a drastic manner.

Are they poisonous?

No, the northern curly-tailed lizard is not poisonous and not harmful for human beings. They are rather shy-natured animals and can do well around human beings, with enough patience and care.

Would they make a good pet?

Introduced in the regions of Florida in 1940, these lizards are comparatively shy. They can turn out to be very good pets if handled with proper care and patience.

They need to be kept in large areas, where they can move freely and comfortably.

Although these animals are mostly ground-dwelling creatures, that is, they spend the majority of their time, scavenging on the ground, occasionally they can also be found climbing on small tree branches or rocks. Therefore, keeping the enclosed area properly equipped with structures for them to climb upon, is also required while keeping these reptiles as a pet.

Did you know...

Introduced in the regions of Florida in 1940, these lizards can bite when they feel threatened or cornered. However, they do not display aggressive behavior at their first chance, unless they feel threatened or scared. They have sharp but small-sized claws, which they make use of to grab their prey.

Some of the common predators of these lizards include red-tailed hawks, feral cats, pigs, or any other large animal.

One of the defensive mechanisms used by the curly-tailed lizard is that they remain motionless or act dead when they feel threatened. They also use this technique of playing dead, when they are scavenging for food. They will remain motionless or still for a while when they detect any approaching prey nearby, and then suddenly pounce on it.

Are curly tail lizards native to Florida?

No, the curly-tailed lizards are not native to Florida. It is a native of the Bahamas Islands, and Cuba among others. In the year of 1940s, following a surge in the population of sugar cane pests, it was introduced in the Palm Beach of Florida, to combat the growing population of sugar cane pests.

Are they slimy?

No, these short-length reptiles are not slimy. It is an age-old myth that all reptiles possess slimy skin. However, that is not true at all. The northern curly-tailed lizards in fact have dry skin and are not slimy.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from our dwarf crocodile facts and caiman facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable northern curly tailed lizard coloring pages.