It is widespread in Central and South America, including: Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Surinam, French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Paraguay.

They live on the forest floor, often sheltering underneath logs and in leaf litter.

Captive individuals have been observed making tunnels spanning out from under a log or rock when given enough soil.

Its diet consists of mainly insects (such as grasshoppers, butterflies, cockroaches, mole crickets, beetles, termites, and insect larvae), frogs, other lizards (such as anoles, dwarf geckos, skinks, and even conspecifics), amphisbaenians, spiders, snails, and plant matter.

This species has been introduced into the United States with thriving populations in South Florida.