page_title: Fauna of Barbados
section_title: Reptiles
hierarchical_section_title: Fauna of Barbados / Reptiles
caption_attribution_description: A w:Red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria), at the w:Buffalo Zoo
context_page_description: The fauna of Barbados is less diverse than that of other Caribbean islands. The island's fauna has been greatly affected by anthropogenic activities; these range from habitat destruction to the introduction of non-native species. Species best able to adapt to the presence of humans have persisted, while those unable to adapt have generally fared poorly.
context_section_description: The green iguana (Iguana iguana) formerly resided on the island before being extirpated. An endemic species of anole lizard, (Anolis extremus), and the introduced tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) are both common species; while Underwood's spectacled tegu (Gymnophthalmus underwoodi), and a native species of Kentropyx lizard (Kentropyx borckiana) are rarer on the island.
  The red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria) is widely kept in captivity; it was likely introduced to the island, as no reports of it were made by early European explorers to the island.
  Populations of an endemic Liophis grass snake (Liophis perfuscus) have been devastated as a result of predation by the introduced Indian mongoose; with no confirmed sightings of the species since 1961.  Another snake species, Mastigodryas bruesi and the world's smallest snake, Leptotyphlops carlae, have also been recorded from the island.
  Currently there are two species of sea turtle which nest in Barbados, the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Though not nesting on the island, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) does forage in nearshore seagrass beds. Coastal infrastructure, such as hotel properties, has encroached upon the nesting grounds of sea turtles, while coastal lights also detrimentally impact upon nesting females.
caption: A red-footed tortoise
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2006:06:16 11:20:43", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "191", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9355", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "8585", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/250", "EXIF FNumber": "9/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Action", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:06:16 11:20:43", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:06:16 11:20:43", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "261023/32768", "EXIF ApertureValue": "111149/65536", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "50", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3456", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2304", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1728000/437", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "384000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "9231"}