Weird, Fun & Fascinating Facts about Lizards Part 1
By: Ralph & Tommy Turtle


Lizard are found everywhere on earth except the very north
of North America, the Arctic and Antarctica.

The largest lizard is the Komodo Dragon, which can reach up
to ten feet in length and weigh in at three hundred pounds.

The largest lizard family is the Skinks, which has one
thousand three hundred different species found all over the
world.

Like snakes, lizards have a Jacobsen's organ, and they smell
by "tasting" the air. When lizards flutter the underside of
their throats they are moving air past the Jacobsen's organ.


The best lizard climber is the Gecko, claws down. This
lizard has climbing pads on the bottoms of its feet. The
pads use friction to cling to surfaces by microscopic hairs.
Their claws grab surface irregularities to help the gecko
climb walls, ceilings, and even glass.

Many lizards (but not monitors or chameleons) can undergo
tail autonomy; in other words, they can lose the tail to
distract or escape from a predator. The tail breaks at a
particular spot in a vertebra. Then the tail that is left
behind wriggles, confusing the other animal. This defense
gives the lizard time to escape. It will grow back, but
without bone (just a rod of cartilage), and will be slimmer,
shorter and a different color, with small scales.

Some lizards have no legs! They look like their brother the
snake. Look closely, if it has movable eyes and ear
openings, it's a lizard.

The Gila monster (Heloderma sucpectum) and the Mexican
beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) are the only two venomous
lizards.

Lizards shed their skin when they outgrow it. They shed in
little pieces, not all at once like snakes.

Lizards never stop growing!

Not all species of lizard lay eggs, some lizards give birth
to tiny replicas of themselves.

Lizards are cold-blooded. The cooler they are, the slower
they are.

Because of the above, lizards love to bask in the sun. But
this makes them sitting targets for their enemies.

Most lizards replace their teeth throughout life, with the
exception of the chameleon and the Agamid lizards.

Records for lizard longevity may be held by a Mexican beaded
lizard (33 years 11 months) and a Cayman Island ground
iguana (33 years 5 months).

See Also:  Facts about Lizards Part 2


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