Types Of Lizards
How many types of lizards are there in the World?
With 5000 different types of lizards in the world, you might think it hard to learn about all of them. However, the majority of lizards fall into groups (16 families) that can be identified by characteristics they have in common. Plus, all types of lizards have certain similarities. All lizards are cold blooded and have bodies that are covered with scales. Most types of lizards live in trees, along river banks, or in the desert. The only place on earth with no lizards is Antarctica. There are about thirty different types of lizards in the United States.
Most lizards have four legs, ears and a tail. Some lizards can actually let their tail drop off if they are threatened and the predator grabs onto their tail. Most types of lizards eat insects but there are a few that eat vegetables, fruits and other plants. All lizards have magnificent color vision and a well-developed sense of smell. One of their major ways of communicating with one another and detecting prey is through scent. Some types of lizards, such as chameleons can change their colors.
Lizards come in all sizes--the smallest is the Gecko which is only a few centimeters long and the largest is the Komodo Dragon which is three meters long. While most lizards are not enthused with being around or handled by human beings, the most they will do is bite, which for the most part is pretty harmless. A huge lizard like the Komodo Dragon will kill human beings.
Some types of lizards have only female offspring. Although most lizards do mate with male and female, there are around 30 types of lizards that reproduce without needing a male. All of these offspring are female, and in effect, clones of the mother lizard. Among those who reproduce in this way are the Whiptail Lizard that lives in the southwestern United States.
Among the types of lizards who lose their tails is the glass lizard. When a predator bites onto the tail it can snap off. Not only that it continues to wiggle for a while so the attacker thinks he still has something that is alive. During this time the glass lizard has time to escape. The glass lizard doesn’t miss his tail and in time he will grow a new smaller tail. Other types of lizards like Geckos and Skinks can lose their tails many times and every time a new one grows back.
Some of the more interesting types of lizards are the Anguids, who have no limbs and the California legless lizard. The Glass Lizard also has no limbs and is often mistakenly identified as a snake. Iguanas are very large lizards that can grow up to six feet long. They live mostly in the tropics of Central and South America but some types of lizards in this family also inhabit the Southwestern U.S. The most dangerous lizards are the Monitors, who are six feet long and eat birds, fish and any other animal they can catch. The Nile Monitor, the goanna of Australia, and the Komodo Dragon are in this family.