Scientific Name
The yellow-spotted lizard, or the yellow-spotted night lizard, has the scientific name Lepidophyma flavimaculatum. It is one of three subspecies of yellow lizards. It is a part of the Xantusiidae family of the Reptilia class.
Their scientific name is Latin in origin.
Appearance
The yellow-spotted lizard is quite beautiful, standing out with yellow dots as its name suggests. Aside from the spots, the color of the rest of their body is mainly black, although they have thin, faint yellow bands along their tail and hind flanks.
Unlike other lizards that have scales or rough skin over the entire body, the texture of this species is very variable, which is why accurate identification is necessary. The head is smooth and shaped like a snake’s head, and the creature’s teeth are black.
On average, this lizard has a maximum length of 2.5 to 5 inches. They weigh about 3 lbs. when they reach adulthood.
Behavior
These lizards are famous for their reclusive behavior, making it difficult for scientists to study them. Since they are nocturnal and solitary creatures, they mainly come out at night in their natural habitat to find prey. They are not usually found in groups and they are territorial. Although yellow-spotted lizards are difficult to find in the wild, they are venomous and can be extremely dangerous if they bite you.
Evolution and origins
The yellow-spotted night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum), sometimes called the yellow-spotted tropical night lizard, is a type of night lizard. It is dispersed south to Panama from central Mexico throughout Central America. Lepidophyma flavimaculatum flavimaculatum has four subspecies.
The yellow-spotted lizard’s black body is covered with yellow patches. While their entire body is covered in hard scales, their head is sleek and smooth, like a snake. They only reach a maximum length of 4 inches. Thin yellow bands contrast with the black scales on their tails.
The burrows that yellow-spotted lizards like to reside in provide shade from the sun and safety from aggressive birds. In a single hole up to twenty lizards can reside. They can jump out of extremely deep tunnels to attack their prey because they have strong and powerful legs.
Habitat
Yellow-spotted lizards are nocturnal in tropical wet forest environments in Central America and Mexico. Typically, they live in tropical forests, mainly at elevations of 2,265 feet or higher. They mainly crawl along the ground, but they also burrow into tree trunks or under bark to find shelter.
Part of what makes yellow-spotted lizards so unique is because they form microhabitats. Once they have decided where they want to live, they will not venture far for the rest of their lives. They stay close to home, even when hunting. These microhabitats make it difficult to identify entire lizard populations.
Diet
The typical diet of yellow-spotted lizards is insectivorous, making them carnivores. Lizards that live near water will push themselves above the water thanks to the thrust of their tails. However, usually they do not like to venture out to catch prey.
Predators and threats
The yellow-spotted lizard does not have many predators because little is known about the predators that chase it. Their microhabitat tends to protect them from unpredictable predators.
What do yellow-spotted lizards eat?
Because the yellow-spotted lizard is small, it is on the shortlist of several notable predators, including other reptiles. Snakes and even large centipedes will chase these lizards, but researchers know little about any other potential predators.
What do yellow-spotted lizards eat?
Although this lizard is a carnivore, the majority of its diet consists of insects. Some of the most common insects they eat include termites, ants, crickets, scorpions, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, water larvae and mosquitoes.
Reproduction and life cycle
Reproduction is quite unique for the yellow-spotted lizard because it can produce offspring by parthenogenesis, which is a type of asexual reproduction. One of the interesting facts about this lizard is that sperm are not needed to fertilize the eggs, allowing the embryo to form independently. If the egg is not fertilized before becoming an embryo, the female will just be a female.
To have a male yellow-spotted lizard, the eggs must be fertilized. These vivacious creatures give birth to live young, which is quite unique among lizards. Most reptiles lay eggs, but the embryos of female yellow-spotted lizards develop inside their bodies. When they are born, the litter usually has 5-8 cubs. These reptiles tend to give birth in June or July.
The offspring of yellow-spotted lizards are called juveniles, newborns or juveniles. They are only about 3 cm long when born, but they almost look like their parents.
In the wild, these lizards can live to be about 11 years old, although they are not fully grown until they are 3 years old.
Population
Because this lizard is quite shy and elusive, it is very rare for them to be kept as pets. In fact, the reason many people believe this species is endangered is because it is rarely seen in the wild, even in its preferred habitat. However, the IUCN considers them to be a species of least concern on the Red List.
You can see more lizards:
