Fast Fun Facts about Lizards

Curious about Lizards? Discover some riveting facts

Can Lizards swim in the open sea? How Do they communicate with each other? Are Lizards Dangerous? Can Chameleons move their eyes in different directions?

If you are curious about this adorable group of reptiles, you have reached an excellent page to start off your wild exotic adventure. Cobras.org is here to help you out with insightful and riveting details, as well as fun Lizard facts.

Lizards BASICS

• How old are Lizards? Dating back millions of years into the era of dinosaurs, lizards are ancient creatures. There are fossil tracks findings dating back 315 million years.

• How many types of Lizards are there? And where do they live? The exotic world of lizards includes over 6,000 different types and species. They are scattered all over the world, except on Antarctica and most oceanic island chains. You can even find them on the ground, on trees, in rivers and in desert. You can even find them in your house.

• Lizards are cold blooded, as are most other reptiles. Among the various types of lizards, each species has its optimal range of body temperature in which it can operate perfectly. However, as soon as its body temperature drops below this optimal range, the lizard will slow down and rest.

• Lizards will regulate their body temperature by using two natural techniques of warming up: Sunbathing and absorbing the heat of the sun, or sitting on hot grounds to absorb the heat.

• Most Lizards have dry scaly skin, four legs, clawed feet, external ears, and of course a long tail, which many types can detach if they feel danger. Almost all lizards have very similar eyes to ours: immobile with eyelids for protection and moist. However, among the thousands of types of lizards, one group of species has extraordinary vision. The Chameleons. They are actually the only animals on the planet that can simultaneously move and point their eyes in different directions. Chameleons truly have amazing abilities, but other lizards also have excellent eye-sight, which even helps them to communicate.

• Lizards communicate in different ways, be it vocal, chemical, tactile or visual communication. Lizards can use their eyes to observe behavioral movements of other lizards, in a similar manner of humans using body language. The lizards language includes detailed postures, gestures and color changes that clearly declare who is in charge of a territory, or settle other internal disputes. The losing lizard will have to move or run away...

• Lizards can move in various ways. Most types of lizards run on the ground, climb on trees and walls, while others swim. Some raise their body and run on their hind legs, like pre-historic dinosaurs. However, there are also lizard species that have no legs at all, and move along like snakes.

• After laying their eggs, many lizard species will usually abandon their offsprings to survive by their own. However, some types of lizards, like skinks and Glass lizards tend to protect their eggs and remain beside them until they hatch.

• Most of the small types of lizards will eat insects and spiders. Other species are herbivores and will eat plants, while others are omnivores and will eat both plants and small animals. Big lizards, such as the Gila Monster, will also eat other lizards.

• Lizards will vary in size and length, according to their species. The smallest lizards known to man are a species of chameleons called Brookesia micra, who can reach lengths of 29mm (1.1 inch). The longest known lizard is the Giant Monitor lizard, who according to some sources �" can reach lengths of 7 m (23 feet).

Want to discover more intriguing Lizard facts, like which lizard is the best climber? Until what age do lizards grow? Can lizards make sounds? Do lizards have a third eye? At Cobras.org you can find the answers to that and many more fun questions.

About Cobras.org:

Cobras.org was founded in 1994 and went online at the same year. It was one of the first websites dedicated to the Cobra snake, and it became extremely popular, cited even by BBC and NAT GEO. Since 2014, Cobras.org covers also other reptile species, including Lizards, Turtles and Crocodiles.

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