Population Assessment of the Ameiva auberi sub-species in The Bahamas

Presented by Shannan Yates

Shannan Yates

The Ameiva auberi sub-species in The Bahamas are commonly call forest runners, blue tail lizards or lion lizards and show some sexual dimorphism. They are active lizards that will typically inhabit the coppice and forge in open areas. A. auberi species tend to be diggers and burrowers creating homes in the soil, and are dependent on rainfall which can be constant or unpredictable causing reproduction to be year-round. The population of the A. auberi sub-species in The Bahamas is relatively unknown. Currently there are 12 sub-species located throughout The Bahamas. The overwhelming evidence of small islands being threaten by global warming and resulting in habitat lost has seen studies being done to evaluate populations of marine wild life, avian wild life and some terrestrial species. Unlike most lizards populations that seem to have denser population in a general area, the A. auberi population seem to be sparely distributed over a large area for a lizard of its size. A comparison of two populations with regards to sex and total body length and home range will be considered among Ameiva auberi bilateralis, the Ragged Island Ameiva and Ameiva auberi thoracica on the island of Eleuthera.