Tropical Tree Lizard

Fascinating facts about the Tropical Tree Lizard

• Scientists recognize five distinct subspecies of Urosaurus bicarinatus, described between 1856 and 1954.
• When it’s time to have babies, this lizard lays eggs rather than giving birth, a reproductive mode called oviparity that many reptiles share.
• One of the subspecies, Urosaurus bicarinatus nelsoni, carries the name of American ornithologist Edward William Nelson, linking a bird-watcher’s legacy to a tree-dwelling lizard.
• Some subspecies were originally placed in other genera, as indicated by parentheses around the authority.

About the Tropical Tree Lizard

Urosaurus bicarinatus, known as the tropical tree lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae that is endemic to Mexico. Its preferred natural habitat is forest, and it is oviparous. Five subspecies are recognized: U. b. anonymorphus, U. b. bicarinatus, U. b. nelsoni, U. b. spinosus, and U. b. tuberculatus. The subspecific name nelsoni honors the American ornithologist Edward William Nelson.

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