BrOwn anole lizard | lizard | geckO casero comÚn | lagartija
Over a long period of time, lizards have developed special physical features to help them survive and avoid predators. Lizard tails serve many purposes. They help balance their weight as they climb branches, they act as fuel tanks to store fat, and as camouflage to help them disappear into their environment. Lizards are also able to shed their tails if a predator grabs them.
Many lizards are carnivores, which means they eat meat. A typical diet for a lizard includes ants, spiders, termites, cicadas, small mammals and even other lizards. Caiman lizards eat animals with shells, such as snails.
Other lizards are omnivores, which means they eat vegetation and meat. One example of an omnivore lizard is Clark’s spiny lizard. These lizards like fruits, leaves and vegetables.
Some lizards are herbivores and only eat plants. The marine iguana, which lives in the Galapagos Islands, eats algae from the sea. Iguanas and spiny-tailed agamids also eat plants.
taxOnomy
kingdOm
metazoa
phylUm
chordata
clasS
reptilia
Order
sauria
familY
Gekkonidae
genUs
Hemidactylus
Description
Most lizards are nocturnal, which means they are active at night, but day lizards are active during the day. They feed on a wide variety of foods including fruits and vegetation, insects, small mammals, birds, and amphibians, carrion and even (in the cases of large predator lizards) large prey such as deer and other big animals.
they are
cold-blOOded animals
they lOVe
to sUnbathe
stiKy padS
on their fingers
Most lizards make noises such as chirping, barking, and clicking when they are defending their territory or attracting a mate.
Female lizards lay their eggs in leaves and bark. Most lizards don’t have movable eyelids and instead have one transparent eyelid which they keep clean by licking it with their tongues.
they are cold-blOOded animals sO
they lOVe to sUnbathe
and they use their tongues as the main sensory organ.
It is easy to realize that they own a very sharp vision and that to be able to communicate between them. They use their body language introducing specific postures, gestures and key movements that signal that they are defining their territory.
OranGe sKin
mark territOry and
tO attraCt a mate
The orange skin under his chin is called a dewlap. It is displayed to mark territory and to attract a mate. They do no harm to humans. They don’t bite, don’t eat anything but insects and leave fairly small, dry, droppings.
stiKy padS
on their fingers,
tO climb any sUrfaCe
They are pretty quick and a bit hard to catch. They can climb the walls and find every little nook in which to hide. It makes for a frustrating chase.
Distribution
They have adapted to diverse habitats:
rain fOrests desertS and cOld mOUntain slOpes
Lizards are reptiles and are found on all the continents except Antarctica.
They live in deserts, forests, prairies, marshes, and rocky areas. Most lizards live on the ground or in trees, are fun and easy to watch. They are most active on warm, summer days.
