Species:

Sceloporus malachiticus

Green Spiny Lizard

April 12, 2001
Hotel Bougainvillea, Santo Domingo, Heredia province, Costa Rica
Green Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus)
Adults of this species vary from brownish to bright green. This is a tiny baby, with some green highlights on an otherwise fairly drab dark body. I saw several large bright green adults on trees as we drove by, but this little fellow is the only one I had a chance to photograph.

The green spiny lizard is the southernmost representative of its large genus, widespread throughout the U.S., Mexico, and northern Central America.