Lizards are a species of reptiles in the order that inhabits all parts of the world and these are usually small in size though not all.
The order contains over 7,000 species, and in the presented article, there will be mentioned 21 types of lizards.
- Chameleons
- Iguanas
- Dragon Lizards
- Anguidae Lizards
- Beaded Lizards
- Monitor Lizards
- Earless Monitor Lizards
- Worm Lizards
- Wall Lizards
- Whiptails
- Spectacled Lizards
- Spinytail Lizards
- Skinks
- Night Lizards
- Geckos
- Legless Lizards
- Helmeted Lizards
- Anoles
- Phrynosomatinae Lizards
- Collared Lizards
- Hoplocercidae Lizards
1. Chameleons
Scientific name (family): Chamaeleonidae
Chameleons are some of the most famous types of lizards in the world they have several characteristic features such as their relatively long tongue and the ability to change color of the shcales. Besides Madagascar these lizards are distributed throughout Africa, some parts of Middle East, India and south European countries.
The ability of each specie to display color changes varies, it is used in communication as well as for blending with the environment. The color is also affected when there is changes in temperature.
A chameleon that want to chill down will turn a lighter color because dark colors are hotter than light since they have the tendency to absorb more heat than light colored chameleons.
Chameleons are also special for their great dichOTMS=tongue which is capable to capture the flying insects in less than 0.1 of a second! They snatch it with their sticky tongue and pull it into the mouth or they use legs to seize it and put it in mouth.
2. Iguanas
Scientific name (family): Iguanidae
These animals that are related to chuckwallas and iguanas are easily distinguished by the presence of spines on their backs, and a droop of skin, called dewlap, hanging from their necks. Iguana species are not very much different in terms of their size, however.
Majority of these spined types of lizards are found indigenous to South, Central and North America and the peripheral islands and are mainly viviparous. Unfortunately, Fiji and Japan are not the natural home of the iguana; however, release into the wild by owners of exotic pets has made them inhabitants of these islands.
Iguanas are plant eaters or rather, monga e chi potrebbe mangiari Leaf eaters as they ‘eat’ both leaves and fruits from plants notwithstanding being described as ‘mean looking’.
3. Dragon Lizards
Scientific name (family): Agamidae
The main distinction between dragon lizards and iguanas is that, although they are related, dragon types of lizards are often not found in South, North, or Central America. Africa, Asia, Australia, and some regions of Southern Europe are where they are primarily found.
They are among the few lizard species that are unable to shed their tails, yet certain species, like chameleons, have the ability to partially change their color, mostly to control body temperature.
The most well-known member of this family is the Australian endemic frilled lizard, which is distinguished by its frill on its neck. To frighten off potential predators, this lizard will expand its frill, lift its body, and open its jaws.
4. Anguidae Lizards
Scientific name (family): Anguidae
However, similar species of these types of lizards inhabit areas in Africa and South America as well as in Europe, Asia and North America. This family comprises slow worms, alligator lizards, and the glass lizards are some of the most famous lizards known to man.
That is why these reptiles are often mistaken for snakes: glass lizards and slowworms do not have legs. Because of the tough scales on their backs alligator lizards really do resemble alligators a great deal.
Some subfamilies of this family include the largest types of lizards species in Texas and one of the largest alligator lizards all over the world, the Texas alligator lizards.
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5. Beaded Lizards
Scientific name (family): Helodermatidae
Beaded types of lizards are found in North America and part of Central America as the only members of the family Varanidae; Subfamily: Pseudotyphlopinae.
Due to their size being described as thick, heavy and massive most of the time these lizards rarely move. The fact that they possess a rather thick tail and also come in black and yellow on the back side helps in identification.
They are both dangerous, although the Gila monster is believed to have created the most painful venom in the world. There seem to have been no deaths mentioned until the early part of the 1900’s. As for predatory features, one must mention large, painful teeth as well as the fact that these lizards are poisonous.
6. Monitor Lizards
Scientific name (genus): Varanus
Not uncommon for these incredible lizards the Komodo dragon with full body length of 10 feet and it weights 150 pounds is the biggest representant of the biggest types of lizards that is called monitor lizards. Some of the species such as the Asian water monitor only grow up to sixty inches in length.
Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Indonesia, and Australia are all home to them. They are a very mobile species that can kill everything, including insects and huge mammals (albeit the latter is only used for the largest lizards).
While certain species of monitor lizards have highly developed venom, all of them are slightly venomous.
7. Earless Monitor Lizards
Scientific name: Lanthanotus borneensis
The Lanthanotidae family has no extant members except these types of lizards. They are linked to monitor lizards even though they are not members of the same genus.
The island of Borneo is the only place where the endangered Earless monitor lizard may be found. They typically reside in jungles, frequently close to plantations that produce palm oil or streams.
They are tiny (rarely longer than 8 inches) and have six rows of thick scales on their backs, which makes them resemble real monitor lizards. They frequently flick their forked tongue, which resembles a snake, to taste the air around them.
Although this species has venom, it is far less potent than that of actual monitor lizards.
8. Worm Lizards
Scientific name (clade): Amphisbaenia
They could be considered the most bizarre of all types of lizards, as this group contains over 200 species. They simply have a worm-like appearance. Worm lizards are nearly identical to earthworms in appearance due to their lack of limbs, simple eyes, and ring-shaped scales.
They can be found in the Middle East, Spain, Portugal, South America, and West, South, and East Africa. They have strong teeth that enable them to shred large pieces of meat off their victim, despite their small and apparent underdevelopment.
Although they will consume animal carcasses if they come across them, their primary food source is insects and insect larvae.
9. Wall Lizards
Scientific name (family): Lacertidae
These types of lizards are referred to as “true lizards” since they are the most prevalent family in Europe and are also frequently found in Africa and Asia.
This family contains at least 300 species, the majority of which are under 4 inches long. The largest lizard in the Gran Canaria family, without a tail, can grow up to 18 inches in length.
Mostly located on cliffs, wall lizards are excellent climbers and primarily consume insects.
10. Whiptails
Scientific name (family): Teiidae
These types of lizards, also referred to as racerunners, have limbs that are extremely developed (by reptile standards, anyhow). Their rapid movements make them extremely terrestrial, and they primarily consume insects and small animals for food.
It’s interesting to note that certain whiptail species reproduce by parthenogenesis and are only female.
11. Spectacled Lizards
Scientific name (family): Gymnophthalmidae
The capacity to see with their eyes closed is a characteristic of these types of lizards. They can see right through their translucent lower eyelids. Small and frequently having short legs, spectacled lizards can be found in a variety of environments, including rainforests and mountains.
Their primary food source is insects, and they are found in South and Central America. It is quite uncommon for lizards to be able to dive, although certain members of this family can.
12. Spinytail Lizards
Scientific name (family): Cordylidae
These types of lizards are known as spinytail or girdle-tail lizards in Africa because of the bands of spines that surround their tails. South and East Africa are home to the majority of them.
Although they mostly eat insects, spinytail lizards can deter predators with their spiny tail. They also resemble crocodilians due to the huge scales that are dispersed throughout their body.
13. Skinks
Scientific name (family): Scincidae
Despite having shorter legs and necks than wall lizards, skinks, which belong to one of the largest types of lizards with over 1500 species, appear very similar. They can simply droop their tails to avoid predators, exactly like wall lizards do.
Their blood is green due to a waste product called biliverdin, which makes the Prasinohaema genus of this family highly intriguing. Human blood looks green because of amounts of this substance that can be 40 times greater.
14. Night Lizards
Scientific name: Xantusiidae
These tiny types of lizards, which are found in Cuba and North and Central America, are rarely longer than 5 inches. Due to their extreme secrecy and infrequent appearance, they are known as night lizards.
Since they have developed to spend all of their leaves behind a rock, this is a result of evolution. Despite being omnivores, night lizards only consume plants when there aren’t enough insects in the area.
15. Geckos
Scientific name (infraorder): Gekkota
Geckos are friendly toward humans and this is why there are many kinds of this types of lizards, so people love to them as pets. There one is missing that is Antarctica and hence they are some of the most abundant lizards. The lizard family of geckos is even larger with people identifying over 2000 types of the species around the world.
Due to that, climbing lizards have become fairly famous due to their expertise in climbing. The toes have extra leathery slipper-like pads which allow them to cling to fully dry and flat surfaces.
16. Legless Lizards
Scientific name (family): Pygopodidae
These types of lizards are native to the area of Australia and New Guinea and for this reason are called ‘snake lizards’ primarily because these animals have no limbs. They are completely absent the forelimbs and have only two tiny hindlimbs, which tells me that they are actually using evolution to dispense with them.
These Australian lizards are not to be confused with snakes since they have external ears and can speak, unlike snakes. Certain legless lizard species frequently consume snakes and other lizards as food.
17. Helmeted Lizards
Scientific name (family): Corytophanidae
The name comes from the fact that these types of lizards grow head crests that resemble motorcycle casque helmets. In the past, they were restricted to Central America, spanning from Mexico to Ecuador. However, they have recently moved to Florida due to their intrusive behavior.
Because they are omnivores, they use their headgear to make themselves appear larger to potential predators. Strangely, unlike most comparable species, these lizards in Florida are unable to drop their tails when being pursued by a predator.
18. Anoles
Scientific name (family): Dactyloidae
Found in the Southeast United States including Florida and Louisiana, Central America, the East Pacific Cocos, Gorgona Island and subtropical South America anoles are lizards similar to geckos. WHAT makes these little lizards peculiar is the fact that most of them have tails that are more than the body’s length. They are able to climb with such great facility due to the fact that they have toe pads, similar to those of the gecko family.
The dewlap, a skin flap beneath the neck that these types of lizards species in Louisiana utilize to entice mates and ward off predators, makes them easy to identify. Like a dog’s tail motions, this dewlap is likewise employed to show the animal’s current state.
19. Phrynosomatinae Lizards
Scientific name (family): Phrynosomatinae
The phyrnosomatinae lizards, which are located in southern Canada and Panama to the south, are well suited to hot, dry climates.
Within this types of lizards, two species—the greater short-horned lizard and the desert horned lizard—are distinguished by their special adaption. The spike-covered desert horned lizards have multiple huge scales that protrude from the rear of their heads, giving the impression that they have horns.
Though they are shorter and appear thicker, the greater short-horned lizard is sometimes mistaken for a frog because it also has sharp scales on its body and at the back of its head.
20. Collared Lizards
Scientific name (family): Crotaphytidae
A resident of Mexico’s north and the south-west of the United States, Utah and Arizona in particular, collared lizards are desert lizards. They are live reptiles that scurry and pounce well and can adapt to hottest temperatures.
In Arizona, certain types of lizards may run up to 16 miles per hour before switching to their hind legs. Their ability to hunt is helpful since they consume insects as well as small lizards and snakes.
21. Hoplocercidae Lizards
Scientific name (family): Hoplocercidae
South and Central American rainforests and woods are home to the last types of lizards on the list. For instance, the broad-headed wood lizard of the Amazon is an arboreal creature with outstanding climbing skills.
In order to conceal themselves from predators, which are primarily snakes, some species in the family use coloring systems. Conventionally, these lizards feed on insects like spiders, caterpillars or larvae.
Conclusion:
The total number of lizard species that are learnt by man is more than seven thousand, but it is believed that there are more of them which remain still unnamed. They are localized in almost every continent except Antarctica and they quickly become acclimatized.
Some types of lizards include beaded lizards, monitor lizards, chameleons, geckos are also known to have interesting characteristics of flexibility in colour change and excellent ablity to crawl through vertical surfaces and potentially powerful venom producing capabilities.
The fact that they are among the few orders that have survived the prehistoric epoch is not strange at all in light of those adaptations.