Ground lizards love being warm. They bask in the sun to absorb heat through their backs, and they also leave their bellies on the ground to absorb heat from below. There are many species from this genus in the Lesser Antilles, often one for every island or group of nearby islands. Our species is found on Anguilla, St. Barts and St. Martin, but the subspecies on St. Martin (Ameiva plei analifera) is found only on St. Martin. Also, it seems like they are common here, because they are often seen in urban areas where people are, but they are often absent in other areas where they could live because they are heavily preyed-upon by the mongoose.
