Florida Scrub Lizard
Encyclopedia
Sceloporus woodi, the Florida scrub lizard, is a species
of lizard endemic to Florida
.
Sceloporus woodi is threatened by habitat loss because Florida scrub lizards prefer sandy uplands; the same well-drained habitats that are cleared for development and agriculture. Populations of Florida scrub lizards are concentrated in these dry uplands - called the Endangered Florida sand pine scrub ecosystem - remnant beaches from when Florida was an island archipelago. Consequently, Florida scrub lizard populations are isolated (because the ocean was once their barrier). Florida scrub lizards are an important banner species in protecting their namesake - a place with many Florida endemics found nowhere else in the world.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of lizard endemic to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Sceloporus woodi is threatened by habitat loss because Florida scrub lizards prefer sandy uplands; the same well-drained habitats that are cleared for development and agriculture. Populations of Florida scrub lizards are concentrated in these dry uplands - called the Endangered Florida sand pine scrub ecosystem - remnant beaches from when Florida was an island archipelago. Consequently, Florida scrub lizard populations are isolated (because the ocean was once their barrier). Florida scrub lizards are an important banner species in protecting their namesake - a place with many Florida endemics found nowhere else in the world.