Things you may not know about lizards

According to the San Diego Zoo, lizards are scaly reptiles that are widely distributed with more than 4,675 different species. However, some other sources of information have about 6,000 different lizard species, most of which are four-legged lizards, others have two legs and the rest have no legs. Furthermore, lizards also have crests, horns or wings and most of the lizards often carry colorful colors.

Things you may not know about lizards Picture 1 A green lizard appears when Will Jenkins is resting / relaxing with his family in Costa Rica.Jenkins quickly took this picture.Photo source: Will Jenkins / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014

Size

In general, lizards have a small head shape, long body and long tail. There are many different types of lizards, so they are often diverse in size. The largest lizard species is called Komodo Dragon , found in Komodo Island, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar. Komodo dragons have a maximum length of 3 meters and weigh up to 80kg. The smallest lizard species is the dwarf gecko , which is only about 1.6cm long and weighs 120mg.

Living environment

Lizard is found all over the world, almost in every terrain. Some live on trees, the rest live in vegetation on the ground, while others prefer to live on desert cliffs. For example, Texas lizards are found in warm climates and small vegetation like in southern North America. In contrast, northern fence lizard likes to live in the cool pine forests of North North America.

Things you may not know about lizards Picture 2 The dragon Komodo dragon has a long tongue that is made to be used to smell and enjoy food.Photo source: Sergey Uryadnikov / Shutterstock.

Habit

Mostly, lizards usually work during the day. Lizards are cold-blooded animals, so they rely on habitats to warm the body. Using sunlight from the sun and working to increase body temperature, the sun's rays provide vitamin D for lizards. During the day time they spend time exposing themselves to the cliffs for sunbathing, hunting or finding food in their own way.

According to research from the University of California, some lizards live in colonies, while others can easily live with dozens of different lizards. Unlike other mating species, most lizards are not social animals. There are some exceptions, such as night desert lizards that live in colonies.

Lizard skin scales do not increase with the age of the animal. Mostly, lizards peel skin or change skin in large pieces. The lizard is also capable of removing its tail when it is grabbed by a predator.

Foods

Many lizards like to eat meat, meaning they only eat meat. The typical food of this lizard is ants, spiders, termites, cicadas, small mammals and even other lizards.Caiman lizards also eat shellfish such as snails.

Some other lizards eat omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and vegetables. An example of omnivorous lizard is Clark's thorn lizard . These lizards love to eat fruits, leaves and vegetables.

The rest are grass-eating lizards, meaning they only eat plants. The iguana sea ​​lizard living in the Galapagos Islands likes to eat seaweed. Iguana iguana and agamids are also a plant-eating lizard.

Mating and reproduction

According to National Geographic , lizards are reptiles that lay eggs and they can reproduce mono ( also called virgins ) meaning they can fully conceive and fertilize their own eggs without need sperm of male. Scientists are still seeking answers to this strange phenomenon. However, when meeting males, female lizards can still " pregnant " and reproduce normally. Crested lizards usually lay between 8 and 23 eggs with a gestation period that can last up to 12 months.

Mostly, baby lizards from birth can do everything on their own, like going, running and eating. Lizard maturity is from 18 months to 7 years, depending on the species. In particular, some lizards can live up to 50 years.

Things you may not know about lizards Picture 3 The wild brown bagger with an airbag in the head (Basiliscus vittatus) was taken in Guatemala.The animal named Jesus lizard is capable of running on water.Photo source: Ana Balcarcel

Scientific classification

Here is the classification of lizards based on the Integrated Classification Information System (Integrated Taxonomic Information System - ITIS ):

1. About : Animalia
2. Demarcation : Bilateria
3. Branch : Craniata
4. Subdivision : Vertebrata
5. Industry classification : Gnathostomata
6. Contact class : Tetrapoda
7. Class : Reptilia
8. Classification : Diapsida
9. Classification : Lepidosauromorpha
10. Contact set : Lepidosauria
11. Set : Squamata

The classical division of the reptile set has scales of the following 3 subdivisions:

1. Lizard ( Lacertilia ), including lizard species;
2. Serpentes ( Serpentes ), including snakes;
3. Division Amphisbaenia ( worm lizard ).

Status and conservation

Lizard species differ in their conservation status, as well as their own characteristics. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN ) Red List of Endangered Species, many lizards are threatened or in love. extremely endangered, meaning they may be about to become extinct. Some lizards are in an extremely dangerous situation: crocodile lizard Campbell ( Campbell's alligator lizard ), St. Croix Ameiva, crocodile skin lizard live in Frost trees, Be'er Sheva flower lizards and Doumergue fuchsia lizards.

Things you may not know about lizards Picture 4

Other species

The freckled neck lizard has a large, round neck that only appears when they try to threaten the attacking enemies.

According to National Geographic, Green Basilisk lizard can move on water at 1.5m / s in a distance of 4.5m or more. In particular, Baslisk also has leather in the middle of duck-like toes that can run on the surface of the water.

Tongue of thechameleon longer than body size and their eyes can look in two different directions at the same time.

According to the Museum of Natural History of the United States, when shining a light on the inside of a gecko's ear, that light will shine to the other ear and spread out.

According to Britannica Encyclopedia, two species - Mexican wet skin lizards in western Mexico and Gila monsters in the southwestern United States and Northwest mexico - are very poisonous.

This is the video of the lizard landscape Green Basilisk | Ninja running on the water.