Reptiles · Squamata · Teiidae

Giant Ameiva

Ameiva ameiva

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The giant ameiva is a slender, fast teiid of the sunny clearings of tropical America, with a bright green back in adults and a very long tail. It is an active forager: it works its way over the ground without stopping, turning over leaf litter with its snout and feet in search of insects, rather than lying in wait as many lizards do.

Weight

68 g on average

Size

30 cm – 50 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It is a specialist of the sun: it is active only in the middle hours of the day and in the sunniest clearings, and disappears completely when it clouds over, sheltering in burrows it digs itself.
It forages actively, turning over the leaf litter with its snout and front feet, a strategy of continuous searching that contrasts with the motionless waiting of the anoles it shares its habitat with.
It has benefited from deforestation: clearings, roadsides and crops have opened new territory for it in areas where closed rainforest did not suit it.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Forest clearings, forest edges, beaches, farmland and sunny open ground of South America
Sexual maturity: 8 months
Gestation / incubation: 5 months
Litter / clutch size: 6 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/