It is necessary to install a terrarium for it. This animal must have its own place in your home, otherwise it may get sick, injured, or simply run away. You can choose a terrarium of almost any shape for your pet, but its height should be 2 times longer than the lizard’s body.

The bottom needs to be covered with earth. It should be without various additives or fertilizers. Instead of soil, you can use sand or coconut shavings. Pieces of paper or shavings for rodents are also suitable. Alternatively, you can line the bottom of the terrarium with large pieces of bark. In the lizard's natural habitat there are different trees, so you can put several branches in the animal's housing.

Keeping lizards at home requires the constant presence of two temperature zones in the terrarium. The cold one should be heated to 30 degrees, and the hot one to 36. The temperature at night should not be lower than 21 degrees. You can heat the hot zone using a glass ceramic/infrared lamp or an incandescent lamp. A special mat, which you can buy at a pet store, will provide heating to the soil.

Pet lizards need constant bright lighting. Therefore, install an ultraviolet lamp for it. If you want to have several animals at the same time, you need to make sure that the terrarium has several heated areas.

For keeping lizards, the optimal humidity is considered to be at least 50-70%. There are several ways to create it. Place a bowl of water in the cool area of ​​the terrarium. The size of such a bowl should be chosen taking into account the size of the pet: the lizard should easily climb into it. You can achieve the required humidity by using damp sponges or spraying. Don’t forget to periodically check the quality of ventilation in the terrarium, since high humidity can cause pathogenic fungi to form.

What to feed lizards at home?

In summer, you can feed the lizard 3 times a day. In winter, two meals a day will be enough for her. Offer your pet various insects - for example, crickets, spiders, mealworms. In addition, the lizard will not refuse to eat small mammals or bird eggs.

You can prepare the following mixture at home for this animal: mix chopped meat and finely grated carrots in equal proportions, then add chopped lettuce, and sprinkle a small amount of vitamin and mineral supplement on top. Please ensure that the latter does not have a strong odor that could scare off the lizard.

This animal should be fed during its active period. If you have several pets, they need to be given food separately. Be sure to make sure your pet eats her portion. When the lizard is active, it drinks water well, but at the same time eats little, there is no reason to worry.

Young animals need to be fed using tweezers, while adults can feed on their own from a small bowl. After feeding lizards, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

Many people today, when thinking about purchasing a pet, opt for the so-called exotic animals - lizards. What is this? A tribute to fashion? Do you want to stand out and emphasize your individuality? Or just a desire to experience new experiences? Be that as it may, in this case the most important thing is to be able to properly maintain your pet.

Instructions

If you have purchased a small tropical lizard, plant its terrarium abundantly with plants. They will maintain the required level of humidity and allow the animal to drink. After all, these lizards do not drink like ordinary animals - they lick droplets of water from the leaves of plants. To ensure that drops always form on the leaves, spray the plants several times a day, usually recommended in the morning and evening.

In their natural environment, lizards must seek shelter from time to time. Provide your pet with similar shelters. Place them taking into account the biology of the species. For example, for nocturnal species of lizards, equip a shelter near heating. This will keep it warm throughout the day.

Provide sufficient soil in the terrarium. The lizard must be able to dig burrows. The soil can be very different, but it must be absorbent, easy to clean, and if swallowed, easy to digest.

Lizards need constant heating. But remember that the temperature of the heated place must be maintained in accordance with the needs of a particular species. For example, 28 degrees is enough for viviparous or fast lizards, while Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards need a temperature of 40 degrees, or even higher.

Domestic lizards have long ceased to be exotic in Russia. Reptiles have gained quite a lot of popularity among animal lovers, especially since they are quite unpretentious. The main thing in their care and maintenance is the arrangement of a comfortable home.

You will need

• terrarium, substrate, fruits, vegetables, snails, fish, branches, shavings, ultraviolet lamps

Instructions

The ideal option is to purchase a terrarium for your pet. But keep in mind that it requires special, rather labor-intensive care. Outside, she can easily catch a cold, but inside her home she runs the risk of picking up certain infections if animal hygiene standards are not followed.

The size of the purchased terrarium should depend on the size: its length should be two lengths of its body, and its width should be one. For arboreal species (such as iguanas and chameleons), vertical terrariums of at least two meters high are required - these animals require more space.

Tree lizards also need to set up a terrarium, that is, place plants and branches inside on which they can climb. Buy plants in pots, and only those that will survive in the conditions necessary for the lizard (that is, they can tolerate a certain temperature regime and humidity level). Never buy artificial plants.

Select the soil depending on the species characteristics of your pet. A universal option is shavings, which are sold in pet stores for rodents. A mixture of sand and soil will suit sandy species. Newsprint is not very aesthetically pleasing, but also an acceptable option. Whatever substrate you choose, the main thing is that there are no pieces of bark in it. If ingested, they can cause constipation in the lizard.

A prerequisite for keeping lizards is external heat sources. Thermoregulation is vital for reptiles, since the optimal temperature range for them is up to 37 degrees near a heating source and up to 26 degrees “in the shade.” This applies equally to tropical species and lizards living in temperate climates (the ideal temperature for the latter is only a couple of degrees lower).

Lizards also need an additional source of ultraviolet light. Special UV lamps can be purchased at a pet store.

As for nutrition, herbivorous lizards rely on fruits and vegetables that are not treated with chemicals. If you purchased apples coated with wax, be sure to peel off the skin. Feed carnivorous lizards with snails and finely chopped fish; sometimes you can add a little to your diet raw meat, cleared of bones and cartilage.

Tip 4: How to catch a sand lizard, what to feed it and where to house it

The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis Linnaeus) lives almost everywhere in Russia. Keeping such an animal at home is quite difficult. But, since this reptile is very beautiful and interesting, some terrarium lovers prefer to put up with certain inconveniences. It is not difficult to catch a sand lizard if necessary, even on your own.

Instructions

Go to the nearest stream in your area. Sanding lizards are most often found in hilly or flat grasslands. You need to go to the stream because these reptiles feed mainly on insects. The latter most often live near water. But, of course, you can try to catch a lizard just in the steppe.

Carefully inspect the ground under the grass and bushes. Catching sand lizards is quite a difficult matter. To notice Lacerta agilis Linnaeu in the grass, you need to try. The fact is that the skin color of these lizards almost completely matches the color of the dry soil. So be careful.

When you see Lacerta agilis Linnaeu, carefully sneak up behind it. The reptile will most likely quickly notice you and try to hide. To catch a lizard, follow it, keeping your eyes on it. The main thing is not to let the reptile out of sight. Agile lizards can change direction literally at lightning speed. Keep this in mind.

Having approached the lizard as much as possible, sharply cover it with your palm from above directly on top of the grass, lightly pressing it down. Never grab a reptile by the tail. Otherwise, you will only “catch” him. You should not grab the lizard by the body either. In this case, it is possible, without calculating the strength, to damage the reptile to some vital internal organs.

Feed the lizard according to the instructions, an anthelmintic intended for reptiles, purchased in advance at a pet store or online. If you have any other reptiles at home, place the captured lizard in a quarantine terrarium for two weeks.

Each of us is familiar with such a natural creature as a lizard. But hardly many of us know about microscopic reptiles. Today we will tell you about the little ones lizard species, where they live and what they eat.

Types of small lizards

There are only a couple of species of these microscopic reptiles:

1. Haraguan sphero (Fig. 1)

2. Virginia round-toed gecko (Figure 2)

The babies are only 16-19 mm long and weigh 0.2 grams. Very small, right? But how do they survive in nature, where do they live and what do they eat? Let's find out!

Where do small lizards live?

Harmless and small reptiles can be found in the Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. These creatures can hide anywhere: in forests, fields, gardens, steppes, deserts, mountains, near rivers and lakes. In general, you can find it anywhere, but there’s another question to notice! After all, lizards inhabit almost every corner of the world, perhaps except Antarctica. They are very agile and tenacious, capable of moving over rocks and trees. And they are great jumpers! And the color of the body perfectly helps to camouflage itself from predators, but still the life expectancy is not long: 1-3 years, but 3 years in a successful situation.

FOOD AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LIZARDS

What does a lizard eat in nature?

Lizard- a predator that goes hunting at sunset or early in the morning. Lizards eating arachnids, insects, snails and slugs, grasshoppers and locusts, butterflies, mollusks, worms, mosquitoes and midges. And some individuals are not averse to feeding on pollen, ants, leaves and berries. Of course, large lizards eat frogs, birds and their eggs, snakes and even dead large animals!

The first lizards appeared on Earth many hundreds of millions of years ago.

The Basilisk lizard can run on water

The lizard inhabits almost all continents of the world, except Antarctica

There are legless and worm-like lizards

A lizard can grow two or three tails instead of one.

Lizard sees the world in orange tones

During an attack, she is able to bite her tail, forming a ring that cannot be opened

Lizard touches with its tongue

Many lizards abandon their eggs and are not going to protect and raise them

VIDEO: ABOUT LIZARDS

IN THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL LEARN INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LIZARDS YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF!

Lizards are scaly reptiles with a long tail and four legs. In fact, there are a great many species of lizards. For example, there is a separate suborder of legless lizards, which are almost impossible for a non-specialist to distinguish from snakes. Currently, scientists know more than six thousand species of lizards that live in almost every corner of the planet. These species differ in color, size and even feeding behavior. Many exotic species of lizards are kept in home terrariums and are well adapted to living in urban environments.

Types of lizards, names

Scientists have divided all lizards into six orders, each of which contains about thirty-seven families. Let's try to briefly look at the main units:

Lizards are so amazing in their species diversity that they have many differences from each other. For example, the largest representative of lizards, the dragon from Komodo Island, weighed more than ninety kilograms. This handsome man is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest lizard in the world. Such heavyweights feed on small rodents and reptiles, and can also afford large cattle, boars and horses.

There have always been legends on the islands about monsters that ate people on Komodo Island. It is still unknown whether there is a real basis for this legend, but it is not difficult to imagine what sacred horror the almost hundred-kilogram lizards caused among the uneducated islanders. Many people still call such monitor lizards “Great Dragon”.
The smallest lizards do not even reach two centimeters, and their weight is two tenths of a gram. These babies live in the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands.

Difference between lizards and other reptiles

Lizards have a long body with smooth scales and clawed, tenacious legs that allow them to masterfully hold on to any surface. The color is usually a combination of shades of green, brown and green. Some species of lizards can mimic. Desert reptiles are especially successful in this. The tongue of lizards is very mobile. It can have different shapes and colors. Most often, it is with the help of their tongue that these nimble reptiles catch their prey. U different types Lizards' teeth serve different purposes. Some grind prey with them, others tear them apart. For example, monitor lizards have very sharp teeth that literally cut their prey.

Visually, many lizards resemble snakes. The main difference is the clawed feet, but legless lizards do not have feet. How to distinguish a legless lizard from a snake? Several signs will help even a non-professional understand the two types of reptiles:

• lizards have eyelids and blink quite often, while snakes have a fused movable eyelid;
• lizards have ears located on both sides of the head, unlike snakes that are completely deaf;
• Lizards always molt in parts, sometimes the molting process lasts several months.

Newts are close relatives of lizards and are very similar to them. But it’s quite difficult to confuse them:

• lizards have leathery scales, and the newt has absolutely smooth skin covered with mucus;
• lizards breathe only with their lungs, while the newt uses the lungs, gills and skin for breathing;
• lizards can give birth to viable offspring or lay eggs in the sand, and newts spawn in a pond with running water;
• The main difference between a newt and a lizard is the latter’s ability to throw off its tail in case of danger.

How does a lizard swing its tail?

The lizard's tail-throwing mechanism is one of nature's most interesting inventions. The tail of a reptile consists of cartilage, which in case of danger is easily broken by a powerful muscle spasm. Stress constricts blood vessels, and blood loss when the tail is dropped is never significant. The new tail grows for quite a long time; it reaches its previous size after eight to nine months. Sometimes the lizard’s body malfunctions and instead of one tail, two or three new ones grow.

Domestic lizards: maintenance features

Currently, there is a great demand for keeping lizards at home. It is worth noting that in captivity these reptiles reproduce very well, and the survival rate of offspring is more than 70%. It is quite difficult to distinguish a male lizard from a female. The main differences appear only after puberty:

• males of some species are distinguished by a bright dorsal crest, which increases as the individual grows older;
• male lizards quite often have sharp spurs on their paws;
• many species have large throat sacs.

All these signs cannot give a 100% guarantee in determining the sex, so if you plan to breed lizards, then determine the sex of the individual using a blood test at a veterinary clinic.

IN wildlife The daily diet of lizards is very varied. This predator prefers to hunt at dawn or after sunset. Food most often consists of insects, worms and shellfish. Large species can feed on other reptiles, bird eggs and small birds. Some lizards are vegetarians and eat only plants and fruits. At home, it is necessary to maintain a variety of daily food, although the lizard's diet may consist of the simplest foods:

• insects (worms, spiders, etc.);
• raw eggs;
• raw finely chopped meat;
• vitamin mixture of boiled chicken, grated carrots and lettuce leaves;
• specialized supplements from pet stores.

You can feed the lizard three times a day during the hot season, and twice during the winter season. Despite the fact that the climate in the terrarium remains warm, the lizard senses the change of season and significantly reduces its activity.

Lizards reproduce well in captivity. The mating season begins in the spring and lasts several months. Large lizards give birth only once a year; small species can breed two or three times per season. In nature, males always compete for a female, with the winner getting the opportunity to mate. In captivity, it is enough to place the pair in one terrarium and leave them alone for several days. During this period, lizards may refuse to eat, but clean water should always be within reach.

Lizards can lay eggs or give birth to offspring already adapted to life. On average, lizards lay about ten eggs and hide them away from prying eyes - in the sand or behind rocks. The eggs remain in this state for up to forty-five days. The hatched cubs are almost completely independent. Viviparous species of lizards carry their young for up to three months. On average, the lifespan of an adult is no more than five years.

Types of domestic lizards

Many exotic species of lizards tolerate life well in captivity. They live several years longer than their wild relatives and bear offspring much more often. The most popular types of pet lizards include:

Bearded dragon

This is one of the most unpretentious reptiles. It is ideal for beginner terrarium keepers who will get great pleasure watching their pet. In the wild, the bearded dragon lives in Australia. For many years, the authorities of the continent strictly controlled the export of this reptile from the country, but it is already quite common to find this lizard on other continents, where it has successfully taken root. The reptile got its name thanks to the spikes and growths around its head; at one time it even bore the proud name “bearded dragon.” The lizard can change color depending on the ambient temperature and its condition.

Real iguana

This large green reptile is known in some circles as the "common." Some specimens reach two meters in length and eight kilograms total weight. Lizards of this species are completely unpretentious and are loved by terrariumists for their calm nature. Iguanas feed only on plant foods. The most serious requirement for keeping this lizard is the equipment of the terrarium - it must be large and well lit.

Currents

This baby is considered an Asian cuckoo. The spotted gecko can make funny sounds, which, according to legend, bring happiness to the family. Asians always brought this lizard into a new home just like the Russians brought a cat. The gecko eats only plant foods; many owners even let it out of its terrarium to run around the house.

Agama tree

This colorful lizard is ideally suited for life in the trees. It has long claws and the ability to camouflage itself among tropical greenery. Some species are bright blue. Agama is an excellent mimic and can imitate a green leaf and a dry branch equally well. This species is one of the most capricious. It can easily die in captivity if some rules for keeping a reptile are not followed. At first, the agama is very wary of its owners, but then it gets used to it and shows them absolute disregard.

Four-horned chameleon

This lizard is a favorite of professional terrarium keepers. It fits perfectly into any environment, merging with all surrounding objects. This reptile feeds on insects and fresh juicy fruits. Keeping a chameleon requires some skill and dexterity. For example, this lizard does not drink water.

To give it water, you should generously spray the vegetation in the terrarium or install fountains. It is worth keeping in mind that, despite its apparent slowness, the chameleon is a very aggressive lizard. She can even attack her owner.

Lizards are very interesting and unusual pets. Good care and nutrition prolongs their life in captivity to the delight of caring owners.

When you go out into nature, you immediately remember your childhood. And not because there is fresh air and freedom, but because memories come of searching for grasshoppers, catching butterflies and, of course, lizards. Reptiles have always fascinated us with their speed of movement, excellent survival rate and safety. Anyone can pick up a lizard, unlike snakes and other reptiles. Such cute creatures are also capable of surviving in apartment conditions. Provided that the owner creates all the necessary conditions. And the first thing that interests you is: what should a lizard eat and how to make up its diet for the whole year.

IN natural conditions More than 4 and a half thousand small reptiles live. Moreover, you can meet them both in the city and in the village or countryside. In the second case, it will be much faster to find not one, but more than a hundred representatives of the tails. In Russia, only two species have become frequently encountered in natural conditions:

• quick lizard;
• common lizard.

They are abundant throughout the post-Soviet space and are not included in the Red Book. It is difficult to immediately determine which lizard it is by its shape. But there are signs and differences in any case. You can also identify it yourself if you look closely.

You can spot a fast lizard purely by accident. Very fast and nimble. The size is small and the color is green. But the brother by name - the common lizard, is larger, and the color can already be dark green, brown and all shades of green and brown. The tarsus are elongated and tenacious with marigolds. And the body, unlike the quick one, is covered with scales.

Fast lizard

The movement of both is not only fast, but with deceptive maneuvers. Lizards live in burrows that they create themselves or are left by other insects or reptiles. They always have a mate and reproduce from only one male. If one of the pair dies, the lizards can be alone for a long time, but then they still go in search.

Where do such creatures live? Literally wherever you can find warm sunshine. They can be seen in the grass and on stones, in the sand and in the garden. The main thing for them is to find warmth. They lead a diurnal lifestyle and hibernate during the winter.

In nature, the common lizard prefers to eat everything that is smaller in size, but there are also vegetarians. These ones feed exclusively on vegetation: flowers, leaves and grass. But everything is exclusively fresh and juicy. Those representatives who have variety in food, in addition to plants, necessarily consume protein:

• grasshoppers and midges;
• mosquitoes and bugs;
• flies and other midges.

An excellent sense of smell helps lizards avoid poison that is sprinkled in the garden or garden. Therefore, even after processing the plantations, you can only find gnawed places here and there. These are the places where the toxic liquid did not reach. Lizards love vegetables: cabbage and carrots. They can also eat fruits that are closer to the ground. The main indicator is juiciness.

At home

Provided that an ordinary lizard has appeared in the house, and the aquarium for it has been selected correctly, it is worth thinking about what and how to feed your pet. It is better to purchase one for yaguanas. After all, you can’t make a terrarium yourself, and jars and boxes are not suitable for keeping it. From the very first days, decide in which corner the lizard can find food. This will be convenient both for her and for the owner himself. Literally everything depends on nutrition:

• survival;
• health;
• aggressiveness.

Lizard at home

The lizard will not be able to walk on a leash, which means that all the food must either be bought in a store or collected by yourself. The second option is a little more troublesome, since running around with a fishnet and catching flies or cockroaches is not very convenient, and long time will only go away to catch two or three insects. It is much more profitable to come to the store and take the same insects. They must be included in your daily diet. If the lizard is a vegetarian breed, then the survey on catching insects will be canceled.

Experts have created a special list of food products for reptiles of this class:

Insects

In addition to flies and grasshoppers, the larvae of all known non-poisonous insects are suitable for butterfly. Cockroaches are also suitable, but always live. Suitable insects include: worms, butterflies, moths, locusts. Just in case, it’s worth having all of the above types in dry or frozen form. At the same time, it is better not to give pet cockroaches so that the lizard does not get sick and is not infected with ailments of different breeds. On the paws of such creatures there are many eggs of worms and other infections.

Dry food

There is a sufficient range of dry food available for sale, designed specifically for reptiles. They can also be given, but only in rare cases. It's not because it doesn't taste good or because its ingredients are of poor quality. Reptiles of this class simply do not tolerate processed foods very well.

Reptile food

Special feed

Some Moscow veterinary pharmacies and stores offer fresh food for lizards. Looks like a mixture of fruits and vegetables. They also contain a certain amount of vitamins and minerals. You can also add anti-worm drops to it, which must also be given to reptiles.

Important! Water is included in the daily care of lizards. Many craftsmen create a special mini-reservoir in the terrarium, in which the lizard can not only drink, but also relax. At the same time, you should ensure that water is not constantly in such an artificial reservoir. But only in the morning or only in the evening.

Important points

In order for a small tailed lizard to live long enough in a new house at home, you should make sure that the conditions are as close to natural as possible. To do this, you need to learn several mandatory rules or recommendations for care and feeding:

1. Lizards begin to get food only closer to 7-8 in the morning, and not immediately after sunrise. Before starting an active search for food, reptiles take sunbathing and wash themselves. Therefore, it is better to put water in the morning. We can completely replace sunlight with fluorescent lamps. Having tracked how much time it takes your pet to do all this, you can start feeding.
2. The terrarium must have a stable temperature. They cannot stand heat or cold at all. If it is very cold for them, then best case scenario hibernate. At worst, they die. Heat also causes problems. Therefore, maintaining degrees is the main task for the owner. At night the lights are dimmed. It is necessary to create secluded corners for hiding and relaxing. Daytime feeding is prohibited.
3. If you have lost your appetite, then there are several options: the time has come for reproduction and you need to find a mate. Or some products were poorly processed to prevent infection and germs.
4. In winter, add more natural vegetables and fruits. They really need vitamins so as not to hibernate.

A lizard is an animal that belongs to the class of reptiles (reptiles). To date, almost 6,000 species are known. Representatives of families can differ greatly; some rare species are listed in the Red Book. Lizards are both reptiles with legs and some legless forms. Reptiles can be vegetarians and eat animal foods. Some varieties are suitable for keeping at home.

Show all

Description

Unlike snakes, these reptiles have divided eyelids. Their body is elastic, elongated, ending in a long tail. Paws are proportional, clawed.

According to the general characteristics, the body is covered with keratinized scales, which change several times a year. The tongue can have different shapes; it is usually mobile and extends out of the mouth. It is with them that lizards catch prey. On both sides of the head are the hearing organs, which are covered by the eardrums.

Real lizard

The most common reptile is the true lizard. Her body length is 40 cm.

Teeth are used for tearing and grinding food. Monitor lizards use them to cut up their prey.

The only one poisonous species lizards - poisonous tooth.



Reptiles live on all continents except Antarctica. Representatives familiar to Russia - real lizards - live almost everywhere. All species move on different surfaces, clinging tightly to uneven surfaces. Rock lizards are excellent jumpers, their jump height reaches 4 m.



Tail

Lizards are capable of autotomy, which is used in case of danger: muscle contraction allows you to break the cartilaginous formations of the vertebrae and discard part of the tail, narrowing the blood vessels, resulting in blood loss almost never happens. This distracts the enemy, and the animal avoids the attack.

The reptile's tail quickly recovers in a shortened form. Sometimes not one, but several grow back.



Color

Lizards have a color that combines green, white, gray and brown. Species that live in the desert exactly repeat the hue of the surrounding area. This is their defense mechanism.

Desert species are capable of changing body color. These include the calot, a reptile with a red head. Among reptiles, there are albinos - these are white lizards lacking pigment.



The gigantic lizard is black and yellow in color.



Giant lizard

Salamanders are black with yellow spots.



Salamander

Geckos have special colors. Some of them are pink with a blue tail.





Floor

There are a number of signs that allow you to roughly determine gender. You can distinguish a male from a femaleonly in adulthood, as sexual dimorphism developslate.

Males of some species are described as having a ridge on their back and head and large pores on their thighs. Another feature of the male is spurs on his paws.

The sex of certain species can be determined by the throat “bags”, preanal scutes and enlarged scales behind the cloaca.

However, only a blood test for testosterone levels will help to accurately distinguish a male from a female. It is done at the veterinary clinic.

Varieties

Lizard species are divided into 6 infraorders, which consist of 37 families.

Each of them has its own characteristics.

Skinks

The order includes 7 families with the following names:

• real lizards;
• night lizards;
• Gerrosaurs;
• skinks;
• Teiids;
• belttails;
• Gymophthalmides.



Large Gerrosaurus

Iguanas

The order consists of 14 families. Some of the representatives of these lizards are true iguanas. These are large reptiles that can reach a length of 2 m. They live mainly in tropical forests.

A striking representative of the order is also the chameleon, which inhabits Africa, Madagascar, Eastern countries, and the USA. Its peculiarity lies in the ability to change skin color depending on the environment.



Chameleon

In the forests of Cameroon there is a four-horned chameleon, which got its name because of the characteristic growths on its head. Males can only develop three “horns”; females usually do not have them.

Gecko-like

The order consists of 7 families.

Its representative can be called the scalefish, which lives in Australia.



Scalelegs

Fusiformes

The order includes 2 superfamilies and 5 families.

These include monitor lizards, earless monitor lizards, spindle monitors, legless monitor lizards, and xenosaurs.

Large xenosaur

Vermiformes

The order consists of 2 genera and a family of worm-like lizards, which externally resemble worms.

They inhabit Indonesia, China, New Guinea, and the Philippines.



Worm-like lizard

Monitor lizards

The order includes several families, which consist of the largest lizards.

Typical representatives are the monitor lizard and the poisonous tooth, which are found in the USA and Mexico.



Komodo dragon

Lizard suborder

The order includes the superfamily Shinisaurus.

It includes one species, the crocodile shinisaurus.



Crocodile Shinisaurus

Record breakers

Of the existing representatives of lizards, the largest is the Komodo dragon. Some individuals have enormous dimensions, reaching three meters in length and a weight of 85 kg in adulthood. A monitor lizard weighing 91.7 kg is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. These reptiles eat small animals, but can also attack larger prey. The Komodo dragon feeds on wild boars, wild goats, and cattle.

The smallest lizards in the world are the Haraguana sphero and the Virginia round-toed gecko. Their dimensions do not exceed 19 mm, weight - 0.2 g.

Domestic species

Various geckos are especially popular among owners.



Pink with gray tail hemiteconix

If you need a calm pet for children, it is better to gethemiteconyx. They have different colors depending on the breed. Their tail stores nutrients, which they use as a reserve when there is no food. Because of this, the tail appears gray, while the body is most often pink. This is a reptile with a very expressive look.



Felzuma

If you want to keep it at homeIf the animal is more active, you can choose felsuma. She has a beautiful emerald color. You can watch her during daylight hours.

At home they also keep varieties of agamas. The most popular of them are bearded and woody. The first received its name due to the neck sac, which, when frightened or during the mating season, stretches and darkens. The tree or black-throated agama is also capable of changing skin tone. Such pets are reluctant to make contact with the owner and prefer to hide.



Many lizards eat insects. They prefer a variety of crickets, mealworms, and will not refuse raw eggs or pieces of meat, a mixture of chopped boiled chicken, carrots and lettuce.

The food is supplemented with vitamins and minerals. In the terrarium for home care there must be water. If the pet refuses food but drinks, there is no reason to worry: the lizard has simply decreased its activity and is not hungry.

Reproduction

The mating season occurs in spring and summer. Large species reproduce once a season, small ones - several times a year. Males conflict, approach each other from the side, trying to look bigger. The small one gives up without a fight and retreats.

If the males are the same size, a fight ensues between them, during which they use their teeth. The winner gets the right to the female. In some species, an imbalance in the sex ratio leads to parthenogenesis - females lay eggs without the participation of males. Lizards have two types of reproduction: viviparity and oviposition.

Females of small reptiles lay no more than 4 eggs, large ones - up to 18. The weight of one varies from 4 to 200 g. The size of the round-toed gecko egg is no more than 6 mm in diameter. In the monitor lizard it reaches 10 cm in length.

The females bury the clutches in the ground and hide them in burrows. Incubation period lasts from 3 weeks to one and a half months. It depends on the climate. Having hatched, the cubs begin an independent life.

Pregnancy lasts 3 months; embryos of northern species overwinter in the womb. Their lifespan does not exceed 5 years.