The green lizard is a male sand lizard in breeding plumage. Common lizard as a pet

Lizards are perhaps the most common animal species on earth. They are found on all continents and continents, except Antarctica. These are, in addition, the most ancient creatures living on our planet. In Japan, for example, the remains of an ancient herbivorous lizard were found, dating back 130 million years, and a fossil reptile found in Scotland, which was identified as a lizard, is even more venerable - 340 million years old!

In the article we will look at these amazing descendants of dinosaurs, find out how lizards reproduce, and much more interesting things.

Why lizards are reptiles

To date, about 9,400 representatives of the reptile class are known, and one of them is the lizard. Anyone who watched how this nimble creature moved probably already understood why it belongs to the named class. The lizard, like its other relatives: snakes, turtles or crocodiles, moves, pressing its belly to the ground, “closing” with it. The only exceptions are the amazing ones that are able to run on water, and even on two hind legs, with their tail raised and their front paws pressed to their abdomen.

The method of reproduction is also similar in all reptiles. characteristic feature which is Females, as a rule, lay eggs that already have a high yolk content and are covered with a leathery (like most lizards) or calcareous (like turtles or crocodiles) shell. Lizard eggs in a clutch can be either one or two or several dozen.

This is a delicacy

By the way, in Colombia, lizard eggs are considered a delicious delicacy. For local cuisine They mainly use iguana eggs. Hunters look for a female of this species, who has lost her agility due to eggs ready to be laid, catch her and make an incision on her belly. Eggs are carefully removed from it and rubbed into the wound. wood ash, after which the iguana is released.

Of course, you can trace where this lizard, which lays delicious eggs, will make a nest and wait for them to appear naturally, but local residents consider this too troublesome. That's why they do it to the animal " C-section" By the way, monitor lizard eggs are considered no less tasty.

How are viviparous lizard babies born?

Usually the lizard lays eggs in secluded places: sand, soil, among stones or rotting leaves, and in due time, fully formed miniature copies of their parents are born from them. By the way, in some species of lizards, especially those living in northern latitudes, the cubs are taken out of the shell immediately after the mother lays eggs, since the development of the embryo occurs already in the female’s body, which prevents it from becoming hypothermic.

It's interesting to watch how this process happens. Before the moment of birth, the lizard becomes restless during the day, scratches the ground, bends its tail over its back, and finally, in the evening, the first baby sitting in the shell is born. After two minutes, the second, third, and so on are born. Moreover, every time after laying, the female takes a step forward, causing the babies to lie down in a line behind her. An hour later they all come out of the shell and hide in cracks in the ground, where they sit with their tails curled until they get hungry.

True, these representatives of reptiles are not very caring mothers - after the lizard lays eggs, it, as a rule, does not return to them. And if sometimes it does come to the laying site, it is only to eat part of the egg shells.

There are truly viviparous females!

But the lizard does not always lay eggs even on such short term. So, in South America skinks from the genus Mabuya live, which can be classified as truly viviparous. The female skink carries tiny, yolkless eggs in the oviducts, which most likely receive nutrition through the mother's placenta (it is temporarily formed on the walls of the lizard's oviduct). Here the female's capillaries come close enough to the capillaries of the embryos to provide them with oxygen and nutrition.

And representatives of the Peruvian variable iguanas (Liolaemus multiformis) live in the highlands, in the Cordillera, sometimes at an altitude of up to 5000 meters, where snow falls even in summer. And in order to prevent the babies from dying, the female gives birth to live babies that have gone through the entire development process in her womb.

Yes, lizards are very interesting creatures, which never cease to amaze researchers!

How are basilisks born?

When talking about lizards, one cannot fail to mention basilisks, namely representatives of the species Basiliskus basiliscus, which have the ability to run on water. On the water surface they reach speeds of up to 12 km/h, covering up to 400 meters. For such talent, these reptiles are popularly called Christ's lizards.

At the same time, basilisks prefer to live in stuffy wet forests Nicaragua and Costa Rica only on the crowns of trees growing along the banks of rivers and lakes. But due to its particular timidity, the basilisk runs away from any noise or suspicion of danger, jumping from the branches directly into the water.

During the rainy season, a pregnant female looks for a hidden place to lay eggs, descends from a tree and, placing her muzzle on the ground, determines where the humidity and temperature will be most suitable. Lizard eggs lie in the sand or under leaves for about 10 weeks, after which the babies break them with a special egg tooth, which later falls out.

What is parthenogenesis

And in Armenia there are rock lizards that reproduce without the participation of males. Only females hatch from the eggs and can reproduce completely independently.

This phenomenon in nature is called “parthenogenesis”. Interestingly, in other habitats of this species, the lizard lays eggs that are already fertilized with the help of males. By the way, according to the observations of scientists, eggs with dead male embryos can be found in the clutches of such lizards. Why this happens is not yet clear.

By the way, Komodo dragons also have the ability to parthenogenesis due to the limited number of individuals and small habitat area.

A sand lizard can be seen nearby

The most numerous genus is Lacerta agillis, the so-called They live throughout Europe and Asia. Everyone has probably seen them, because they settle in sunny meadows, in personal plots or in places where there is less vegetation to make sunbathing easier.

From March to June, lizards experience mating season, and, having become emerald, the males go in search of beautiful ladies (who, by the way, look very modest). Oval, up to 1.5 cm in length, covered with a leathery shell, the eggs are kept in a dug hole for about 9 weeks, after which babies emerge from them, 6 cm long and darker in color than their parents.

From little to giant

The smallest of the order of lizards is the round-toed gecko, which lives in India. It weighs only 1 gram, and the length of this baby is 33 mm.

By the way, reproduction of lizards of this species occurs only when there is a lot of water around. The female round-toed gecko lays one that has a regular round shape. tiny egg, which does not exceed 6 mm in diameter. Moreover, it is interesting that often several females simultaneously choose the same place for laying. Not leathery, like most lizards, but the calcareous shell of this egg hardens very quickly in the air and becomes incredibly fragile. True, it is almost impossible to find these masonry due to their tiny size. They can be found in all sorts of crevices and abandoned termite mounds.

But the Komodo monitor lizard, which lives in Indonesia, is a giant, allowing you to immediately remember that lizards are direct descendants of dinosaurs. It reaches 3 meters in length and weighs 135 kg. Having encountered such a giant, anyone will try to quickly get away. True, its huge size did not prevent this lizard from becoming the smallest in number - now there are only 200 representatives of this species.

Lizards add beauty to this world

By the way, lizards have color vision, which is very rare in the animal world. They, like us, can enjoy all the colors of the planet.

And the reptiles themselves are incredibly impressive and add beauty to this world with their fantastic shapes, colors and habits. Many lizards are able to change their color or its intensity due to the functioning of special skin cells called melanophores. By the way, thanks to this, a completely blind chameleon lizard easily takes on color environment, and glowing geckos flicker mysteriously in the dark.

Therefore, when you find lizard eggs, photos of which you could see in the article, do not rush to destroy them, think about how poor the world will be without these agile and very interesting creatures.

A viviparous lizard is a small reptile, the length of which does not exceed 18 centimeters, with half or even a little more of overall size The body is made up of the tail. Unlike many of their fellow tribesmen, the males of this species are smaller than the females.

Viviparous lizard - description

These lizards are not distinguished by their bright colors. They are quite modest. In adults upper part the body and tail can be brown, brown, yellowish-brown or greenish. It has a characteristic pattern that stretches along the ridge. This is a dark streak that sometimes breaks. In addition, there may be two wide stripes on top and dark stripes on the sides of the body, which are limited by a lower light line, which sometimes consists of rounded spots.

It must be said that not all individuals have a pronounced pattern. Moreover, it is not uncommon for a viviparous lizard (you see the photo in our article) to be completely black. These are melanists. Such animals are most often found in northern latitudes, in the mountains. This color is due to the fact that dark colors absorb heat better.

In males, the lower part of the body is brick-red and even orange; females have a yellowish, greenish or light gray abdomen. In addition, males have a thicker tail at the base.

A viviparous lizard (newborn) has a dark brown, almost black color, often the pattern is not pronounced. Over time, the color becomes lighter, and a characteristic pattern gradually appears on the main background. This happens as the baby grows.

Habitat

These cute lizards inhabit almost the entire forest area of ​​Eurasia - from Ireland, Great Britain and the Pyrenees to Sakhalin, Kolyma and the Shantar Islands. In the west of their range they are distributed from the Kola Peninsula to the Arctic Circle and the lower reaches of the Yenisei. Viviparous lizards live everywhere on Sakhalin, and in the south they can be found in the forest zone.

The viviparous lizard prefers to settle on the edges, in thickets of bushes along the banks of rivers and lakes, and in clearings. They can often be found in wet floodplain meadows that border the forest. In Siberia, they can also live in the tundra, in swampy areas on hummocks, surrounded on all sides by water. The shelters for these lizards are dense forest floor, holes of small rodents, shallow crevices between stones, old, dilapidated stumps. Viviparous lizards do not build their own shelters.

Lifestyle

Probably not everyone knows that the viviparous lizard is not only an excellent swimmer and diver, it also moves easily along the bottom of a reservoir. If she is in danger, she instantly buries herself in the mud. Lizards of this species do not run very well when compared with their large green counterparts.

In mountainous areas they often live at altitudes of up to 2500 meters. They feel great in humid environment and are well tolerated low temperatures. Thanks to this feature, they were able to settle in the Arctic Circle, where winter time they hibernate.

In the spring, when the air warms up to only + 4 degrees, and there is still snow in some places, they come out of this state. At this time, they bask in the sun for a long time, hiding in holes in the ground, on boards, and stumps. Normal activity returns to them when the air warms up above +15 degrees.

IN central regions In Russia they finish wintering at the end of March, at Far East- at the end of May, and in the north - at the beginning of June.

How to keep a viviparous lizard at home?

Today, many animal lovers have such pets. It should be noted that the viviparous lizard takes root well in unusual conditions. Its maintenance does not require much effort, but certain rules must be observed.

We will equip a terrarium

Your pet will need a small horizontal terrarium. For one individual, its minimum dimensions must be 30×20×20 cm. A certain temperature must be maintained in it. This is achieved using a thermal cord, a thermal stone, a thermal mat, or thanks to heating lamps - incandescent lamps, mirror lamps directed downward.

A viviparous lizard at home needs a warm corner, in which the temperature during the day should be up to 30°C, and at night at least 20°C. In indoor conditions, night heating is not necessary. Place a piece of driftwood, a wooden shelf or a stone slide under the lamp so that your pet can warm up well, choosing a more comfortable temperature.

The terrarium must have a small drinking pond; lizards love to swim and do it with pleasure. Shelters can be built in any shape - these can be shelves, houses, stone slides, etc. It is better to use coarse sand, gravel, or coconut substrate as soil. The terrarium must be sprayed once a day. warm water. This will maintain the necessary humidity. You can keep lizards in a group.

Daily and seasonal rhythms

Daylight hours and operation of daytime heating systems vary throughout the year. When the animal is active (autumn, spring, summer), it is 12 hours. For irradiation it is more advisable to use erythema lamps. The session is five minutes three times a day. Can be carried out this procedure household appliances (Ural Federal District) for 1 - 2 minutes during the week. When irradiating with any type of device, the animal must be in a dry area.

In winter, lizards need complete rest. Over the course of three weeks, you should very slowly reduce the duration of heating and reduce daylight hours. When it reaches six hours, the heating is turned off, and the viviparous lizard does not receive food. Keeping in captivity involves placing it after a week in a ventilated, light-proof cage, which is filled with sawdust or pressed sphagnum. During wintering, the temperature should be maintained at 8-10°C. We must not forget about humidity. It should be maintained by spraying the soil in the corner of the cage once a week. The duration of wintering is about two months. The lizards are brought out of this state in the same rhythm, gradually increasing the heat and daylight hours. When the day reaches six hours, the heating is turned on and the animal begins to be given food.

Feeding

Under natural conditions, viviparous lizards feed on small invertebrates, sometimes they eat their young. In a terrarium, they are fed mealworms, crickets, cockroaches, zoobass, and other insects. They willingly eat earthworms, small snails and newborn mice. Feeding is done at least once every two days, but you can feed it daily. There should be fresh water in the drinking bowl at all times.

Do not neglect various mineral supplements, which are given along with food - crushed eggshells, preparations with a high calcium content. You can periodically add “Borjomi” to the drinking bowl - mineral water. Give your pet concentrated vitamin preparations once a week.

Reproduction

At the age of two years, viviparous lizards become sexually mature. There are ovoviviparous and oviparous species. They lay eggs in the Cantabrian mountains. This happens twice a season. Incubation lasts approximately forty days at a temperature of about 18-20°C.

At other points, viviparous lizards give birth to babies in a mucous, transparent egg shell, which the small lizards tear apart within thirty minutes.

After leaving the hibernation (at home), the lizards are irradiated and fed with regular food. But drugs containing vitamin E are added to it. This lasts 3 weeks. Then the lizards molt, and the males acquire a “nuptial” coloration. After this, males and females are combined in one terrarium, if they were kept separately.

Copulation lasts no more than five minutes. The female's pregnancy lasts from 70 to 90 days. Usually between 2 and 12 babies are born.

(middle current)

Scientific classification Kingdom:

Animals

Type:

Chordata

Class:

Reptiles

Squad:

Scaly

Suborder Family:

Real lizards

Genus:

Green lizards

View:

Fast lizard

International scientific name

Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758

Species in taxonomic databases CoL

Nimble lizard, or agile lizard, or common lizard (Lacerta agilis) - a reptile of the family of true lizards.

Description

The length of the body with tail does not exceed 25-28 cm. The external coloring and body pattern of the sand lizard are extremely variable and varied. The main background of the dorsal surface is brown (34.0 and 44.5%, respectively) or green (29.0 and 40.5%). The rarest color of lizards is gray (10.0%) in the Right Bank. Common color forms (aberrations): erythronotus(back brown, without spots) and immaculata(back green, without spots). The throat color of the Volga populations is dominated by white (60.0%) tones.

The pattern of the animals includes a well-defined dark stripe on the back, based on 2 parietal (solid - 67.0-76.0% or intermittent - 12.0-17.0%) stripes and one spinal stripe (74.0-76). .0%). Dark spots on the back of large (up to 70%) or small (30%) sizes. Variations in the direct occurrence of dorsal stripes on the head scutes and the occurrence of stripes with a branch are quite common for populations of sand lizards in the region, but their frequency of occurrence is slightly higher for reptiles from the Volga region than for individuals from the Right Bank (65.0 and 22.0% versus 48. 5 and 26.5%).

The central-temporal scute is in most cases clearly expressed, around it there are 5-9, more often 7 (63%), smaller scutes. Grains between the superior ciliary and supraorbital scutes are absent in 81.4% of individuals; in the rest, their number is 1-3 on each side. The intermaxillary shield does not touch the nostril in 95% of individuals. There are usually two postnasal and zygomatic shields; in the postnasal region, the most common combinations are 2/1 (39.4%), 2/2 (34.8%) and 2/0 (10.6%); for 15.2% of lizards - 3/0, 1/2 and 1/1. The prianal scutes are arranged in two semicircles, the pair of middle scutes of the inner circle is enlarged. The throat scales are uniform, smooth, overlapping each other in the area located immediately in front of the collar, formed by 8-12 large scutes. The scales of the body are oval-elongated along the ridge, with dense ribs; on the sides of the body the scales are more rounded and convex, on the neck they are smaller and granular. The number of scales around the middle of the body is 38-51. The abdominal scutes are arranged in six longitudinal and 26-32 transverse rows. The anal shield of males is, as a rule, relatively wider than that of females; the ratio of its width to length is 2.04 ± 0.06, in females - 1.78 ± 0.04. A wide dark dorsal stripe, separated by a light spinal line, runs through 13-15 scales.

Of the ten currently distinguished subspecies of the sand lizard in the territory Saratov region lives L. a. exigua Eichwald, 1831.

Spreading

Distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Europe and the European territory of Russia, as well as east to north-west Mongolia. In the Rtishchevsky region, the sand lizard is widespread.

Habitats and lifestyle

In the forest-steppe conditions (northwestern part of the Saratov region), the lizard occupies both steppe and forest biotopes and their anthropogenic modifications, but its distribution here is limited to rather specific areas. In the steppe and semi-desert zones animals occupy various types landscapes, however, they prefer stations with complex microrelief and high projective cover; inhabit a variety of biotopes, transformed under the influence of anthropogenic factors and having clearly defined ecotone properties.

The agile lizard is able to swim across small bodies of water, climbs well among dense vegetation, and sometimes climbs the branches of bushes and trees. Adheres to certain territory, the sizes of which vary from 70 to 285 m². When pursued, it changes direction many times, hides among vegetation, goes into holes, cracks and voids in the soil, and thickets of bushes. It can dig holes on its own in soft soil. A caught lizard defends itself by trying to bite; Sometimes it makes a quiet hissing noise. Agile lizards, like other members of the genus, have an automatized tail.

The sand lizard appears in the spring at the end of March - beginning of April at an air temperature of at least +8 to +10 °C. In the spring, the maximum occurrence of lizards is observed from 11.00 to 16.00 at air temperatures above + 15 °C. The emergence of animals from shelters in summer period observed around 8:00 a.m., the number of encounters increases sharply by 2:00 p.m., after which a decrease is noted. By 19.00 the activity of reptiles increases and reaches a maximum.

They leave for the winter in the second half of September - October. At the same time, the first in winter shelters Adults disappear, followed by fingerlings. Lizards overwinter in burrows, the entrance to which is clogged with leaves and earth.

Reproduction

The bright green breeding plumage of males appears a few days after leaving the winter quarters. In search of females, males often make small migrations. During mating (copulation), the male holds the female by biting the sides of the body near the hind limbs, where characteristic marks remain (the so-called mating marks). Mating occurs in late April - May. A month after copulation, females lay 6-12 eggs measuring 6.8-7.4 × 10.0-11.2 mm in specially dug holes. Incubation period lasts about 55 days. The appearance of young individuals is observed in the second half of July - the first half of August. Their sizes vary from 31 to 46 mm. They become sexually mature at the age of two years.

Nutrition

The sand lizard's main diet consists of insects, among which representatives of the order Coleoptera predominate (their share was 25.4-40.5%). The proportion of lepidoptera, hymenoptera, diptera, homoptera, hemiptera and orthoptera in the lizard's prey among insects is somewhat lower. The diet of the species contains significantly more animals that fly well and move quickly compared to sedentary ones. Among the food items there are relatively many invertebrates with critical coloration, as well as poisonous, stinging and pungent odors. Sometimes plant foods are used, as well as various small stones, apparently acting as gastroliths.

The most preferred prey of lizards are animals with a body weight of 50 to 200 mg and a length of 10 to 25 mm. They make up 73.9 and 85.7%, respectively. total number captured invertebrates. Of the animals that have longer length and body weight, they catch mainly representatives with soft integuments (oligochaetes, millipedes, lepidopteran caterpillars). The vast majority of animals caught by lizards have chitinous coverings. Lizards swallow small prey whole and quickly. After catching a larger one, they squeeze several times with their jaws, split off the limbs and elytra, and then swallow them, orienting them parallel to the axis of the body.

Limiting factors and status

The main enemies of sand lizards are the copperhead, patterned runner and Nikolsky's viper. Of the birds, lizards are most often pursued by the European tuvik, common and steppe kestrels, meadow harrier, long-eared owl, gray heron, and a number of passerines attack them: shrike, rook, magpie. Among the enemies of lizards there are also animals: badger, fox.

The fast lizard is one of the common species region, and in some places it reaches high numbers. The species does not require special protection measures. The species is included in Annex II of the Berne Convention for the Protection of European species wild fauna and their habitats.

Literature

  • Fauna of the Saratov region. Book 4. Amphibians and reptiles: Textbook. allowance / G. V. Shlyakhtin, V. G. Tabachishin, E. V. Zavyalov, I. E. Tabachishina. - Saratov: Publishing house Sarat. University, 2005. - pp. 59-62
Mushrooms of the Rtishchevsky district
Fauna of Rtishchevsky district
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Paleofauna
Red Data Book of the Saratov Region People of the city and region Administrative
territorial division
History of the Rtishchevsky region Economy Education and science

When you go out into nature, you immediately remember your childhood. And not because fresh air and expanse, and therefore 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 everything necessary conditions. And the first thing that interests you is: what should a lizard eat and how to structure 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.

All over post-Soviet space they are abundant 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 fall into winter period hibernation time.

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 diseases. 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 the 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, it is worth making sure 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 you start active search food, reptiles take sunbaths and wash themselves. Therefore, it is better to put water in the morning. Sunlight completely replaceable 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 too cold for them, then at best they 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.

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  • Show all

    Description

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

    According to general characteristics, the body is covered with keratinized scales, which change several times a year. The tongue may have different shapes, it is usually mobile and extends from 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 around 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 colors. 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 lizards white devoid of 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 pink color 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. This large reptiles, which 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, 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. They accumulate in their tail nutrients, which they use as a reserve in the absence of 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. A terrarium for home maintenance must have 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. The 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 northern species overwinter in the womb. Their lifespan does not exceed 5 years.