Cercosaura ocellata Black-striped Forest Lizard
Also known as:
Ocellated Tegu
Subspecies I've seen:
C. o. bassleri
Black-striped Forest Lizard
Cercosaura ocellata bassleri Black-striped Forest Lizard
Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 14, 2013
Black-striped Forest Lizard (Cercosaura ocellata bassleri)
The youngsters of this species of small leaf-litter-dwelling lizards were easily recognizable by their bright orange-red tails. For small, skittish lizards, they were fairly cooperative in that occasionally one would pose for awhile on top of a small branch or leaf.

Here is a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on my 2013 MT Amazon Expeditions trip.

Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 15, 2013
Black-striped Forest Lizard (Cercosaura ocellata bassleri)
I saw a number of the bright-tailed youngsters on the trails at Madre Selva, but to my knowledge never saw an adult.
Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 13, 2014
Black-striped Forest Lizard (Cercosaura ocellata bassleri)
These pretty little lizards look a lot like the whiptails of the U.S. southwest, but they are not nearly as wary. They tend to move just a few inches at a time and then sit still for awhile, presumably relying on their camouflage in the leaf litter.

Here is a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on my 2014 MT Amazon Expeditions trip.

Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 15, 2014
Black-striped Forest Lizard (Cercosaura ocellata bassleri)
I didn't realize that this little lizard was snacking on a tiny cricket until I looked at my photos later on.
Madre Selva Biological Station, Loreto, PeruJanuary 15, 2014
Black-striped Forest Lizard (Cercosaura ocellata bassleri)
My first adult of this species. This one is a female; males have much more prominent "eye spots" on their sides.
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