Erica captures a giant Uromastyx lizard in Saudi Arabia

4 years ago
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Lizards are the most successful reptiles, with almost 6,000 species around the world. They have developed a wide range of lifestyles. Many lizards live on the ground, but some live in trees and others are burrowers. Like all reptiles, lizards are cold-blooded animals. Although most lizards have long tails and move around on four legs, a few are legless and snakelike. There are even lizards that can glide through the air on winglike flaps of skin. Lizards usually eat insects and other small animals. The biggest lizards, such as monitors, can hunt prey as large as deer, and some lizards feed on plants.
Lizard, (suborder Sauria), any of more than 5,500 species of reptiles belonging in the order Squamata (which also includes snakes, suborder Serpentes). Lizards are scaly-skinned reptiles that are usually distinguished from snakes by the possession of legs, movable eyelids, and external ear openings. However, some traditional (that is, non-snake) lizards lack one or more of these features. For example, limb degeneration and loss has occurred in glass lizards (Ophisaurus) and other lizard groups. Movable eyelids have been lost in some geckos, skinks, and night lizards. External ear openings have disappeared in some species in the genera Holbrookia and Cophosaurus. Most of the living species of lizards inhabit warm regions, but some are found near the Arctic Circle in Eurasia and others range to the southern tip of South America.
The monitor lizard family includes the biggest of all lizards, the Komodo dragon. Monitor lizards live in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australasia. Most monitors have long bodies, powerful legs, strong claws, and muscular tails. They hunt during the daytime, and their prey ranges from insects to large mammals, depending upon the lizard’s size. Most monitors live on the ground, but they can climb well and some species spend much of their time in trees, feeding on fruit. Female monitor lizards lay up to 30 eggs, which they bury underground or inside hollow tree trunks to keep them safe.
Lizards are reptiles which means that lizards are cold blooded. Lizards tend to be more active during the night as lizards spend the day basking in the hot sun in order to warm themselves up. Lizards are therefore able to recharge their batteries during the day and can hunt with success at night.
For most species of lizard, sight is crucial both for locating prey and for communication between other lizards. Due to their extremely tuned eyesight, many species of lizard have highly acute colour vision. When communicating most lizards rely heavily on body language as lizards use specific postures, gestures and movements to define their territory, resolve any disputes, and entice mates.

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