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Green Keel-bellied Lizard
Gastropholis prasina
A stunning, bright green African arboreal lizard featuring a long prehensile tail. It requires tall, densely planted enclosures and consistent humidity levels.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Lacertidae
Subfamily:Lacertinae
Genus:Gastropholis
Species:Gastropholis prasina
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
65 - 85 %
Day temperature
25 - 28 °C
Ambient temperature
26 °C
Night temperature
20 °C
Basking spot
32 - 35 °C
Adult size
11 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 150 L
UVB
High
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the humid coastal forests and woodlands of East Africa, primarily Kenya and Tanzania. It lives high in the canopy, perfectly camouflaged among dense green foliage.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the family Lacertidae and the genus Gastropholis. Highly specialized genetic lineage for arboreal environments, marked by physiological adaptations for climbing and prehensile tail function.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal, highly active, and exceptionally agile. It uses its prehensile tail as a stabilizer and anchor while leaping between branches. It is curious and can become moderately confident around keepers.
Morphology: Slender and elongated body of a uniform, vibrant emerald-green color. Reaches up to 40-50 cm in total length, with the prehensile tail comprising over two-thirds of this length. Ventral scales are keeled to enhance traction on bark.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a vertically oriented terrarium (minimum 60x45x90 cm). Furnish heavily with live plants (Pothos, Ficus), thin climbing branches, bamboo poles, and cork bark tiles. Use a moisture-retaining soil-moss substrate.
Lighting and Heating: Provide a basking spot of 32-35°C (90-95°F), ambient daytime temperatures of 25-28°C (77-82°F), and a night drop to 20°C (68°F). Moderate 5-6% UVB lighting is required.
Humidity and Hydration: Keep humidity high (70-80%). Mist the enclosure once or twice daily, as these lizards prefer drinking water droplets off leaves and enclosure walls rather than from a bowl.
Feeding and Supplementation: Insectivorous. Diet should consist of crickets, roaches, silkworms, and flies. Dust prey insects with calcium and Vitamin D3 twice a week, and a multivitamin supplement once a week.
Compatibility: Can be housed in pairs (one male, one female) or small harems in larger enclosures. Never house multiple males together, as they will fight and stress each other.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly prone to dehydration if humidity levels drop. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) can occur without adequate calcium/UVB. Handle gently to avoid tail injuries; never grab the lizard by its tail.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the humid coastal forests and woodlands of East Africa, primarily Kenya and Tanzania. It lives high in the canopy, perfectly camouflaged among dense green foliage.
Origin
Africa and Madagascar
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 11 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 11 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 11 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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