Saint Croix ground lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Croix ground lizard |
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|---|---|
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| on Protestant Island | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pholidoscelis
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| Species: |
polops
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| Synonyms | |
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Ameiva polops |
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The Saint Croix ground lizard (Pholidoscelis polops) is a special type of lizard. It belongs to the Teiidae family of lizards. These lizards are found only in a few specific places.
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What Does the Saint Croix Ground Lizard Look Like?
These lizards are quite small. They grow to be about 3.5 to 9 centimeters long, not counting their tail. Adult lizards have a cool pattern on their backs. It has stripes of light brown, dark brown, and white. Below these, they have thin stripes of brown, black, and white. These stripes go down their sides to their stomach.
Their stomach is white. Male lizards have bright blue markings on their stomach. The rest of their underside is a deep pinkish-red color. Their tail starts brown near their body. Then it changes to rings of blue and black. Young lizards, called juveniles and hatchlings, have a bright blue tail!
What Do Saint Croix Ground Lizards Eat?
These lizards are not picky eaters. They will eat almost anything they can find. Their diet includes berries and small creatures like amphipods. They also eat moths, ants, and tiny hermit crabs.
Where Do Saint Croix Ground Lizards Live?
The Saint Croix ground lizard mostly lives in beach areas and upland forests. They used to live on the island of St. Croix. However, they disappeared from there. This likely happened because their homes were destroyed. Also, the Indian mongoose was brought to the island in the 1880s. Mongooses are animals that hunt lizards.
Now, these lizards are found on four smaller islands. These islands are Protestant Cay, Green Cay, Ruth Cay, and Buck Island. Ruth Cay is an island made by people in the 1960s. In 1990, eleven lizards were moved to Ruth Island. In 2008, 57 lizards were moved to Buck Island. This was done to help them survive.
Why Are Saint Croix Ground Lizards Endangered?
The Saint Croix ground lizard is an endangered species. This means there are very few of them left. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed them as endangered in 1977. This was under a law called the Endangered Species Act. Also, the Pholidoscelis polops is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This list tracks animals around the world that are in danger.
People are working hard to save these lizards. They have moved some lizards to islands where there are no mongooses. In 1990, ten lizards from Protestant Cay were moved to Ruth Island. In 2008, fifty-seven lizards from Green Cay were moved to Buck Island. These efforts help protect the lizards from danger.
