Little scrub island ground lizard
Censky's ameiva (Pholidoscelis corax ), also known as the Little Scrub Island ground lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. It is indigenous to the Caribbean.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withP. corax is a melanistic species, superficially similar in its dark coloration and scalation to Pholidoscelis atratus and Pholidoscelis corvinus, other species also found on small, barren Caribbean islands. This is believed to be due to independent adaptation to the similar local environments.
P. corax is endemic to the tiny islet of Little Scrub, off the coast of Scrub Island, Anguilla.
Censky's ameiva is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its small population (estimated at approximately 250 mature adults) and extremely limited distribution/habitat, an area less than 0.049 km2 (12 acres) in size. It is likely vulnerable to development, invasive mammal introduction,seasonal loss of vegetation during hurricanes, and declining seabird numbers (a food source).
