The Amazing Animals
Reptiles: Lizards«Back
Argus Monitor
(Varanus panoptes horni)
Australia and New Guinea – These highly intelligent, terrestrial animals are active foragers found in the open eucalyptic savannas and primary forest habitats of Australia and southern New Guinea. They dig extensive burrows and have the unique ability to use their tails as a tripod to check out changes in their surroundings. Females, especially, will pop up on their hind legs, tripoding with their tails, and stretch upward to survey their surroundings whenever they hear or see anything interesting. Their intelligence and sharp awareness of their surroundings contribute to making them a fascinating animal to observe as well as a challenge to keep. The males of the species are generally larger, 4 to 4.5 feet in length, than the females, which are 3.5 to 4 feet long. Argus monitors are classified as a Cites II animal and are no longer imported. Their diet can include any of the commonly available "feeder" animals such as mice, rats and crickets, mealworms, fish, chicks and turkey. They especially enjoy eggs.
Gila Monster
(Heloderma suspectum)
USA – Because Gila monsters have been widely feared in the Southwest, many interesting (often hilarious) myths have sprung up concerning this species, including the idea that their breath is toxic! Gila monsters are one of two known venomous lizards, the other being the Mexican beaded lizard. They are stout animals, usually weighing 3 to 5 pounds. Their length varies from 12 to 24 inches for an adult. These lizards have thick, short tails that contain fat storage, which the animals can use to survive on when there is no food or when they are hibernating. Females also take advantage of this extra fat during pregnancy. Gila monsters are found in the southwestern United States, specifically Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. They are also found in northwestern Mexico. In the wild, Gila monsters eat small mammals, lizards, frogs, insects, carrion, birds and birds’ eggs. The colorful, bead-like skin of these creatures is great camouflage in the desert. Their claws are great for digging burrows and for digging out other animals’ eggs. Their forked tongue is a very important feature, as it helps the Gila monster to hunt and to receive information about its surroundings via scent. These scents are transformed into a specialized taste organ called Jacabson's organ. Gila Monsters tend to live 20 to 30 years.
Malayan Water Monitor
(Varanus salvator)
Asia – Water monitors come from the family Varanide, whose members include the largest and heaviest of the lizards. In this group, the water monitors are second in size only to the Komodo monitors. Water monitors can grow up to lengths of 8 feet, but typically are about half this size. They are widespread over a large geographical area, and as their name suggests, are rarely found far from water. They are quite capable of swimming long distances – an ability that has allowed them to colonize many remote islands. Once on a new island, water monitors have no trouble adapting, as being carnivorous, they will eat almost anything. Their diet depends mainly on their size: smaller monitors eat fish, crabs, mollusks, insects, eggs, frogs, snakes, birds and even other lizards; larger monitors eat these same foods along with monkeys, small deer, carrion and even human corpses. When water monitors are alarmed they puff up their bodies, hiss loudly and lash about their tails in a defensive posture.
Panther Chameleon
(Chamaeleo furcifer pardalis)
Madagascar – Panther chameleons live in forest areas, including rainforests, of Madagascar. They inhabit mostly the coastal lowlands where it is warm and humid. They like to be off the ground, up in the trees and bushes. Their feet are V-shaped and perfect for grabbing branches. Panther chameleons' tails are prehensile, which means that they can use their tails to grab things. Their special tongues, which are very long and have a sticky tip, help them catch food. The length of a chameleon's tongue is greater than its whole body. The bright colors and patterns of chameleons serve to warn other chameleons and predators to stay away. Chameleons have pigment granules that contain color pigment and these pigments disperse, which gives them their color. The misconception of chameleons is that they change color to match their background. In fact, their color change is actually determined by environmental factors such as light and temperature. Their color change is also controlled by their emotions, such as fright, and victory or defeat in battle. Color changes are rapid and increase when the chameleons are handled by people, injured or approached by another chameleon.
Bearded Dragon
(Pogona vitticeps)
Australia – Inland bearded dragons live in the arid woodlands and deserts of central Australia. They spend much of their waking hours in bushes and trees. They can also be found basking on rocks in the warm sun. When it is extremely hot, bearded dragons will burrow underground. They are diurnal and omnivores; in other words, they forage for food such as insects; small lizards and mammals; fruit; flowers; and other plant material during the daytime. The beard of these dragons is used for both mating and aggression displays. Both sexes have a beard, but males display their beard more frequently, especially in courtship rituals. Females will, however, display their beard as a sign of aggression. The beard turns dark to jet-lack and inflates during the display. In addition, to appear more intimidating, bearded dragon also may open their mouths and gape. Another interesting behavior is arm waving, during which the bearded dragon stands on three legs and waves one of its forelimbs in a slow circular pattern. One function of arm waving seems to be species recognition. Arm waving is also used to show submission; a smaller bearded dragon responds with arm waving when confronted with a larger, more dominant bearded dragon. Females also arm wave to avoid aggression from males, especially if the male is bobbing its head. We named our inland bearded dragons "Elvis" and "Priscilla."
Leopard Gecko
(Eublepharis Macularis)
Middle East – Leopard geckos are found in dry areas, preferring rocky desert and semi-arid grassland over open stretches of sand. The geckos are crepuscular and nocturnal, spending the daytime in rock crevices or burrows. With eyesight comparable to that of a cat, geckos can see better than any other lizard! Leopard geckos store fat in their tails and use this energy reserve during lean times or aestivation. Leopard geckos are unusual in that they have eyelids. They do not have clinging toe pads, so they can not climb vertical surfaces. Leopard geckos can live 15 to 20 years in captivity; some have lived up to 30 years. They eat mealworms, crickets and occasionally baby mice.
Giant European Legless Lizard
(Ophisaurus apodus)
Eurasia – Also called the "Scheltopusik," giant European leg-less lizards can reach 4 feet in length and are the largest species of leg-less lizards. In fact, their name means "snake lizard." The first apparent feature of the scheltopusik is the lack of legs. The reason they don’t have any limbs is the same reason many lizards have become limbless; they have adopted a fossorial lifestyle – living in the underbrush, burrowing through soft substrates, and eating invertebrates and small vertebrates that they encounter in these habitats. For these animals, limbs mostly just get in the way. To the untrained eye it can resemble a snake, since it does have eyelids, external ears, large tail and uniform scale size like most other lizards. It is brown to olive-green in appearance with a lateral fold that runs the length of the body, but not the tail. The tail often makes up half the length of this lizard and it can be autonomous by breaking, but rarely grows back, or regenerates. Fortunately, this lizard does not readily drop its tail. Giant European leg-less lizards demonstrate reasonable intelligence (by lizard standards) by learning to recognize its keeper.
Northern Blue Tongue Skink
(Tiliqua scincoides intermedia)
Australia – Reaching up to 2 feet in length, northern blue-tongued skinks are the largest of the blue-tongued lizards. They inhabit the forests, woodlands and grasslands in northern Australia. These skinks are diurnal (active during the day), ground-dwelling, and omnivorous – feeding on insects, snails, native fruits and berries, wildflowers, and carrion. Their nighttime shelter is typically in hollow logs and ground debris. To escape a predator, the northern blue tongue skink can shed its tail. It also has moveable and transparent lower eyelids that allow it to see while protecting its eyes from dust.
Orange-Eyed Crocodile Skink
(Tribolinotus gracilis)
Indonesia and New Guinea – Orange-eyed crocodile skinks are arboreal lizards that are unique among skinks because of their spiky bodies. Calm and slow-moving, Crocodile skinks spend most of their time in trees. They are omnivorous, feeding primarily on snails and insects, but also on flowers and fruits. Crocodile skinks can be found in very humid regions such as rainforests. They also live on mountain ridges at moderately low elevation, and prefer areas with relative humidity of 95 to 100 percent that receive at least 8 feet of rain per year. These lizards live in the cooler regions of the rainforests, where the temperatures are between 62º and 80º F. Crocodile skinks are small, averaging 7 inches in length. They have very spiky scales around their head and down their back and sides. Their head is triangular, while their body is rather square in shape. They have strong legs with small, clawed toes. Their tails are much longer than the rest of their bodies. Crocodile skinks are different from most other skinks, which usually have smooth scales. When alarmed, crocodile skinks make a high-pitched yelping noise and may expel waste matter from their intestines. This combination is enough to startle any predator!
Argentine Black and White Tegu
(Tupinambis merianae)
South America – Argentinian black and white tegus, also called giant tegus, are the largest tegus in the world. Adults often reach a size of 4 feet or even longer (including the tail). They range from temperate climates in Argentina, with warm summer temperatures and cold winters, to tropical forests that surround the Amazon in southern Argentina. They also live in Uruguay's meadows, river valleys and mountains. Because of this great range, Argentine black and white tegus exhibit great versatility and can hibernate in cold weather. In August, they stop eating and begin to prepare burrows in which they will hibernate. Often, several giant tegus will hibernate in one burrow. In September, they enter the burrow and close it from the inside. There they will hibernate for 6 months before emerging the following March and begin eating again in April. Giant tegus, while primarily terrestrial, are also able swimmers and will, if threatened, retreat underwater and stay there for large periods of time. Unlike the much more common Colombian black and white tegus, the Argentine tegus are omnivorous. They feed primarily on vegetables and fruits, and will eat insects, snails, bird eggs, small mammals, fish and amphibians. Sometimes they even steal fish bait and lunch from the local fisherman!
Solomon Island Skink
(Corucia zebrata)
Solomon Island – Also known as the prehensile-tailed skink or the monkey-tailed skink, Solomon Island skinks are one of only a few species of skinks that are known to live an arboreal existence, climbing slowly from branch to branch. Solomon Island skinks are also completely herbivorous. They are members of the giant skink family and are the only known species of skinks with prehensile, or grasping, tails. They give birth to only one or two extremely large offspring, which may be up to one-half the size of the mother. These lizards show a degree of parental care not observed in other lizards; the parents will actually protect their young as well as their territory. In defense, the skink is able to make a sharp hissing noise and can deliver a savage bite. Solomon Island skinks are one of the few lizards not able to cast off their tail in defense and later regenerate a new one. As with many tropical forest species, the extensive loss of forests is severely affecting Solomon Islands skinks. They rely entirely upon the trees for food and shelter. Their coloring is an adaptation that camouflages them in the dense canopies of these forests to protect them against predation. Because of their low reproductive rates, this species is at risk due to the pet trade and losses caused by predation by newly introduced species. "Solly" is the name of our favorite Solomon Island skink.
Green Iguana
(Iguana iguana)
North, Central and South America – Green iguanas are usually 4 to 6 feet, although they have been known to grow up to 7 feet long, including the tail, which can make up about half the body length. Green iguanas, not surprisingly, are green in color and have black stripes. They can be found in many different shades of green, ranging from bright green to a dull, grayish-green. Their skin is rough, with a set of pointy scales along the iguana's back. Green iguanas have long fingers and claws to help them climb and grasp, and they have good senses of hearing and smell as well as superb vision. Their long tails are also quite sharp, and the iguanas snap them in the air as a defense mechanism. The tail of the iguana can break off if caught by a predator, but grows back without permanent damage. The skin of green iguanas is water resistant and tough, which helps to avoid cuts and scratches. The green coloring of their skin helps camouflage these animals, which means that they blend in easily to their surroundings to remain undetected by predators. We feed our green iguana, "Lucky," TK.
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