Lizard Facts
Lizards are one of the biggest, most diverse and
widespread groups of reptiles found on Earth. They are found
on all continents, except Antarctica.
▪ Lizard (suborder Sauria) refer to any of the more than 5,500
species of reptiles belonging in the order Squamata (which also
includes snakes). They feature in a wide variety of colors,
appearance, and size.
▪ It comprises 40 different families. According to the San Diego
Zoo, there are currently over 4,675 lizard species, including
iguanas, chameleons, geckos, Gila monsters, monitors, and
skinks. Their ancestors appeared on Earth over 200 million
years ago.
▪ Lizards are scaly-skinned reptiles that are usually distinguished
from snakes by the possession of legs, movable eyelids, and
external ear openings. However, some traditional (that is,
non-snake) lizards lack one or more of these features.
▪ Due to their smooth and shiny appearance, some lizards can
appear slimy or slippery. However, their skin – like all reptiles –
is actually very dry due to a lack of pores to excrete water and
oils. Class: Reptilia
Higher classification: Scaled reptiles
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Squamata
Phylum: Chordata
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Lizard Facts
MOBILITY
All lizards are capable of swimming, and a few are quite comfortable
in aquatic environments. Many are also good climbers and fast
sprinters. Some can even run on two legs, such as the Collared
Lizard and the Spiny-Tailed Iguana.
LIZARDS AND HUMANS
Most lizard species are harmless to humans. Only the very largest
lizard species pose any threat of death. The chief impact of lizards
on humans is positive, as they are the main predators of pest
species. Humans also keep many lizards as pets and some species
are even eaten as food.
HABITAT AND DIET
Lizards can be found in every continent except Antarctica, and
they live in all habitats except extremely cold areas and oceans.
Most lizards live on the ground, but others can be found making their
home in a tree, in a burrow, or in water. Different lizard species eat
different types of food. They feed on 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. [Link]
Lizard Facts
BEHAVIOR
▪ Most lizards are active during daylight hours, when their acute
binocular vision can be used to its greatest advantage.
▪ Vision is necessary for most non burrowing species. The family
Gekkonidae, however, is composed predominantly of species
that are most active from dusk to dawn. In conjunction with
night activity, geckos are highly vocal and communicate by
sound, whereas most other lizards are essentially mute.
▪ Lizards spend considerable time obtaining food, usually insects.
Some of them, like Iguanian lizards, tend to perch motionless at
familiar sites and wait for prey.
▪ They detect their prey using visual cues, dash from their
perches to where the prey item is, and capture it with their
tongue in a process known as lingual prehension (in some
cases, their tongues can extend to twice their body length).
▪ Iguanian lizards are typically referred to as “sit-and-wait”
predators. In contrast, autarchic gloss lizards (the non-gecko
scleroglossa lizards such as amphisbaenians, skinks, whiptails,
and others) actively search for prey by probing and digging,
using their well-developed chemosensory system in a process
called vomero olfaction, as well as visual cues. These lizards
do not use the tongue to capture prey; rather, they grab their
prey in their jaws.
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Lizard Facts
Anole’s brightly coloured throat
fan, or dewlap, signals possession
of a territory and attracts females.
TERRITORIALITY
▪ Social interactions among lizards are best understood for the
species that respond to visual stimuli. Many lizards defend
certain areas against intruders of the same or closely related
[Link] defense does not always involve actual
combat. These often involve the erection of crests along the
back and neck and the sudden increase in the size of an
individual through puffing and posturing.
▪ Many species display bright colours by extending a throat fan or
exposing a coloured patch of skin and engage in stereotyped
movements such as push-ups, head bobbing, and tail waving.
▪ Large, colourful horns and other forms of conspicuous head
and body ornamentation are often restricted to males, but
females of many species defend their territories by employing
stereotyped movements similar to those of males. However,
this is evidently advantageous and has evolved through natural
selection.
▪ Territories are usually associated with limited resources (such
as nest sites, food, and refuges from predators), and a male
that possesses a territory will likely attract females.
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Lizard Facts
Baby Grand Cayman blue iguana hatching from its egg.
FAMILY LIFE
▪ Male lizards use a variety of methods to attract a female's
attention. They bob their head vigorously or display their
brightest colors or best features.
▪ The green anole lizard, for example, inflates a rust-colored
throat sack to win over the female of his choice, sometimes
keeping up this display for hours. But when the male needs to
make sure others see him, his head turns fiery red and his
body and tail change to a bright, shiny blue.
▪ Other males may fight with each other until the weaker one
gives up.
▪ Most female lizards lay soft, leathery eggs — they don’t stick
around to protect the eggs from harm or keep them warm.
▪ The tokay gecko lays soft eggs that harden in the dry air and
stick to the surface on which they were laid.
▪ The sandstone gecko lays eggs in rocky crevices, so these
eggs have a tough cover.
▪ The Nile monitor lizard lays her eggs in termite mounds. No
matter what the circumstances of their start in life, baby lizards
look like tiny versions of their parents.
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Lizard Facts
VENOMOUS VARIETIES
● Only three lizard species are clinically venomous: the Komodo
Dragon, Mexican Beaded Lizard, and the Gila Monster.
● Beaded Lizards are found along the western coast of Mexico
and the Gila Monster in southwestern US into northern Mexico.
● Even though myths and legends surround these two creatures
because their bite can cause serious injury, no human fatalities
have ever been reliably recorded.
● Recent research has also shown that Komodo Dragons are in
fact venomous. This large species of lizard can be found in the
Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and
Padar.
SOME SPECIES
SPECIES OF LIZARDS
OF LIZARDS
Agamas Males in some species of Agamids develop dramatically
colorful markings on the body during breeding season.
This color change plays a part in communication and
reproductive behavior.
Some species of anoles are very territorial. Some have
Anoles even been witnessed showing aggressive behavior to
their reflections in mirrors. Anoles are also used as
native pest control, as they eat spiders, cockroaches,
and other bugs. Anoles changes colors based on its
mood and surroundings.
Casquehead
Lizards The basilisk lizard, also known as Jesus Christ lizard,
has large hind feet with flaps of skin between each toe,
this allows them to run fast on the surface of water.
Chameleons Chameleons are uniquely adapted for climbing and
visual hunting. They have the most distinctive eyes of
any reptile, they can focus separately to observe two
different objects simultaneously.
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Lizard Facts
SOME SPECIES
SPECIES OF LIZARDS
OF LIZARDS
Chameleons- The spiral tail helps in balancing and grasping
[Link] are known for the ability to change their body color to
blend in with the environment. The slow movements and the accurate
aim of the long tongue makes them successful hunters.
Desert Horned
Lizard
Desert Horned Lizards have spikes on the body for
defense against predators. These lizards use a
camouflage and ambush style of hunting.
The frilled lizard is fairly large species of lizard that can
Frilled Dragon grow to nearly a meter in length. The long tail and sharp
claws of the frilled lizard help the frilled lizard when it is
climbing around in the trees. Like many other species of
lizard, the frilled lizard is an omnivorous animal and it will
therefore eat almost anything it can find.
Gecko The most well-known species of gecko is the leopard
gecko - it is commonly kept as a pet. Leopard geckos
always appear to be smiling, this is not because they are
always happy, but because of the way their head and
mouth is shaped.
Gila Monsters & Gila monsters don't need to eat very often as they can
Beaded Lizards store fat in their large tails. They are able to go months
and even a year between meals. They are venomous
lizards, however the venom is only used in defense and
not for subduing prey.
Iguanas & Green iguanas are one of the most popular reptile pets
Spinytail Iguanas in the United States and are also among the largest
lizards in the Americas, averaging around 6.5 feet (2
meters) long and weighing about 11 pounds (5
kilograms). Its average lifespan in the wild is 20 years
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Lizard Facts
SOME SPECIES
SPECIES OF LIZARDS
OF LIZARDS
Komodo
Dragons Komodo dragons are the biggest and heaviest lizards on
Earth. The largest Komodo dragon ever found was 10.3
feet (3.1 meters) long and weighed 366 pounds (166
kilograms).
Legless Lizards They are often mistaken to be snakes because of their
appearance. If observed closely they have eyelids, which
distinguishes them from snakes.
Mexican The beaded lizard is an animal to admire from a safe
Beaded Lizards distance, not one to handle casually. Long-term captive
beaded lizards often become sluggish and seemingly
tame, but they should never be fully trusted to not
administer a lightning fast, bulldog-like bite.
Neotropical
Ground Lizards
When fighting for a mate, these lizards stand high on all
fours, usually sideways to their opponent to maximize
their apparent size while bobbing up and down.
Tegus & Whiptails
Some species of whiptail lizards have all-female or
nearly all-female populations. This lizard reproduces by
parthenogenesis (process of asexual reproduction).
True or Wall
Most species of wall lizards are sexually dimorphic,
Lizards
which means that males and females have different
patterns.
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Name: ________________________________
Anatomy of a Lizard
Lizards are one of biggest, most diverse and widespread
group of reptiles found on Earth. Label the lizard’s parts
by labeling the boxes.
Lizards smell stuff with their
tongues! Just like snakes, a lizard
sticks out its tongue to catch scent
particles in the air and then pulls back
its tongue and places those particles on
the roof of its mouth, where there are
special sensory cells. The lizard can use
these scent “clues” to find food or a
mate or to detect enemies.
LIZARD WORKSHEETS [Link]
Anatomy of a Lizard
ANSWER KEY
HEART
LIVER
LUNG
SMALL INTESTINE STOMACH
OVARY
BLADDER
Lizards smell stuff with their
tongues! Just like snakes, a lizard KIDNEY
sticks out its tongue to catch scent
particles in the air and then pulls back
its tongue and places those particles on
the roof of its mouth, where there are
special sensory cells. The lizard can use
these scent “clues” to find food or a
mate or to detect enemies.
LIZARD WORKSHEETS [Link]
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