Page 23 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Lizards

Slow worm 2

This common legless 1
lizard is no snake
Many people who spot a slow worm
will assume that it is a snake, and they 4
could be forgiven for doing so. This is in
fact a legless lizard, and can be found in SLOW WORM 3
gardens across Europe and some parts Anguis fragilis
of Africa and Asia. Slow worms have a Class Reptilia
handy ability to shed their tail when they 1. Biggest 3. Fastest
are startled or attacked, and when this Komodo dragon Black spiny-tailed
happens, a new tail will grow back in a Weighing in at iguana
matter of weeks. Rather than laying eggs Territory Christmas Island 165kg (360lb) The world record
like many other lizard species, female Diet Slugs, snails, insects and reaching for the fastest
slow worms actually give birth to around Lifespan 20 years The tail of the slow worm can lengths of up to lizard goes to the
Adult weight 75g (2.6oz)
eight live young per fertilisation. This Conservation status disconnect when it is threatened, 3m (10ft), these black spiny-tailed
follows a courtship, initiated by a male in a process called caudal huge lizards are iguana, which can
biting a female’s neck. A slow worm autonomy. Once shed, the tail worthy of their reach 34.9km/h
wriggles for several minutes,
takes around eight years to reach its full NOT EVALUATED creating the perfect distraction to dragon names. (21.7mph).
adult length. keep confused predators away.
2. Smallest 4. Most
Horned toad HORNED TOAD Dwarf gecko venomous
Gila monster
The dwarf gecko
Not a frog but a misnamed lizard Phrynosoma hernandesi measures a One of just two
Class Reptilia
This lizard is widely known as a horned toad, but is also referred to by its miniscule 16mm venomous lizard
(0.6in) in length.
species, the Gila
more accurate name of ‘short-horned lizard’. Horned toads get their name It lives in just two monster bites
from having squat bodies and short snouts, which are unlike the slender remote locations quickly and takes
and slinky bodies of most lizard species. They are found across North Territory North and Central in the Caribbean hold, delivering
and Central America, and use their spikes as defences against their many America islands and was the venom via
predators, which include hawks, snakes, dogs and wolves. Their horns aren’t Diet Ants, grasshoppers, only discovered grooved teeth on
their only defence though – when attacked, they will inflate their bodies to spiders in 2001. its lower jaw.

Lifespan Unknown
twice their original size to look more alarming, and if that still doesn’t work, Adult weight 5g (0.18oz)
they have a sinister ability to squirt blood from their eyes. Horned toads Conservation status
can be yellow, grey or red in colour, depending upon their habitat. A salamander
Squirting blood at predators is not only meant to LEAST CONCERN
intimidate. The liquid also contains a chemical is not a lizard
that is harmful to dogs, wolves and coyotes. It

can travel up to 1m (3) towards a target.
Salamanders and lizards have much in
common (including slender and smooth bodies
across many species), but they also have

plenty of differences. Most important of these
is that salamanders are amphibious, whereas
lizards are reptiles. Salamander bodies are
moist as they spend a lot of time in water and
damp places. They also don’t have scales,
while lizards do.
Viviparous lizard Viviparous lizards vary greatly in © Thinkstock; Dreamstime;

colour. They are most oen brown on
top, with males sporting a brightly
This species proves that lizards coloured underside of yellow or orange,
or more rarely, red and black spots.
aren’t just for warm habitats
VIVIPAROUS LIZARD
Zootoca vivipara Also known as the common lizard, this is one of the
Class Reptilia most widespread of all vertebrate species, and
can be found in parts of the UK and northern
Europe, Russia, Japan and the Mediterranean.
There are a large number of subspecies of
Territory Europe, north Asia viviparous lizard, and there is some dispute
Diet Invertebrates, spiders, among experts as to whether some of these
larvae are separate species. As they are cold-blooded,
Lifespan 5-6 years
Adult weight 5g (0.2oz) these lizards spend time ‘basking’ in the sun to raise
Conservation status their body temperature from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius (59
to 86 degrees Fahrenheit). This happens mostly because
they need to warm up to be able to hunt. The versatile
LEAST CONCERN viviparous lizard thrives in many habitats, including
moorland, dry and wet heaths, sea cliffs and even tundra.

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