Name lizard species. General characteristics of the lizard suborder (SAURIA). Lizards have several characteristic features

The most common group of the class of reptiles are lizards, of which there are almost six thousand species. They differ in size, color and habits. Even if we do not take into account the fact that new species of lizards are regularly discovered, the names and photos of all animals of this suborder would still not fit in one article. Let's get acquainted only with representatives of this group.

Lizard species: names and photos

The suborder of lizards is divided into six infraorders, including 37 families. We present one interesting species from each infraorder.

1. iguanas . The most famous iguana is the Yemeni chameleon. The species is distinguished by its large size among chameleons. Males reach a length of 60 cm. A characteristic feature of the representatives of this family is the ability to mimicry. They change body color for camouflage. The Yemeni chameleon turns brown when threatened. However, do not expect bright colors from it - for such a spectacle, you will have to look at other species.



2. Skinks . The Crimean lizard is found in Moldova, in Black Sea Russia (Republic of Crimea), the Balkan Peninsula and the Ionian Islands. It reaches twenty centimeters in length. The color is brown or green with dark rows of longitudinal spots. It has the ability to shed its tail and grow a new one, like all members of the Real lizard family.


3. monitor lizards . In addition to the extinct marine predators of mosasaurs, the infraorder also includes the largest modern lizard, the Komodo monitor lizard, which grows up to three meters in length and reaches a weight of more than 80 kg. AT early age feed on eggs, birds, small animals. Over time, they move on to larger prey. At one time, the Komodo dragon is able to eat an amount of meat equal to 80% of its own weight. Thanks to an elastic stomach and movable bone joints, a representative of this species swallows an animal the size of a goat whole.



4. Geckos. The Madagascar day gecko or green felzuma is one of the largest members of its family. In length, individuals of this species reach up to 30.5 cm. The color is bright green. Most of their life, not exceeding ten years, is spent on trees in search of insects, fruits and flower nectar, which make up the main diet of green felsums.



5. worm-like . Representatives of the worm-like infraorder bear little resemblance to lizards familiar to the layman. A typical representative - the American worm-like lizard - has no legs, no eyes, no ears. The animal does not even resemble a snake, but rather earthworm, however, have no family ties with the latter. American worm-like lizards lead a burrowing lifestyle, representing another amazing branch of lizard evolution.


6. Fusiform . Representatives of this infraorder also decided to give up extra limbs. The brittle spindle, or tinsel, is often confused with the copperhead snake from the already-shaped family. This type of lizard is easily tamed by humans and lives in captivity twice as long as in nature, being protected from natural enemies.

Lizard breeding

With rare exceptions, lizards reproduce sexually. Otherwise, parthenogenesis takes place, in which the offspring develops from the egg of the female without the participation of the male. All lizards are oviparous. However, some of them lay shelled eggs, from which, after a while, cubs appear. Other species are ovoviviparous. The young emerge from the eggs just before leaving the female's body. Representatives of lizard species that are small in size die immediately after laying or giving birth to cubs.

Breeding in captivity requires a calm environment for animals, as stress significantly reduces the reproductive function of lizards.

Sometimes define different kinds lizards, perhaps, based on their name and photo. However, some related species are so similar that only a specialist can recognize them. Looking at other lizards, an uninitiated person will rank them among other groups of animals. Biological research family ties between representatives of this suborder of reptiles.

Types of lizards, names and photos of their subspecies are interesting not only for professional herpetologists and terrariumists, but also for everyone who likes to observe the nature of our planet, marveling at the amazing diversity of the animal world. The variety of lizards from blind burrowing creatures to three-meter predatory giants is only an echo of the past greatness of this group, when ancient mosasaurs plowed the oceans. The largest species of this extinct family, the Hoffmann Mosasaurus, could reach a length of almost twenty meters and was the king of marine predators of the late Cretaceous period. Impressive lizard, isn't it?

Order Squamata Oppel = Scaled

Systematics of the suborder: Lacertilia Owen = Lizards
Family: Agamidae Gray, 1827 = Agamas, agamas (lizards)
Family: Anelytropsidae Boulenger = American worm lizards
Family: Anguidae Gray, 1835 = spindles, spindles
Family: Anniellidae Cope = Legless lizards
Family: Chamaeleonidae Gray, 1825 = Chameleons
Family: Cordylidae Mertens, 1937 = Belttails
Family: Dibamidae Boulenger = worm-like lizards
Family: Gekkonidae Gray, 1825 = Geckos, [grasping] lizards
Family: Helodermatidae Gray, 1837 = Yadozuby
Family: Iguanidae Gray, 1827 = Iguanas, iguanas
Family: Lacertidae Fitzinger, 1826 = True lizards, Lacertids
Family: Lanthanotidae Gray, 1825 = Earless monitor lizards
Family: Pygopodidae Gray, 1845 = Scalefoot
Family: Scincidae Gray, 1825 = Skinks, skinks
Family: Teiidae Gray, 1827 = Teiidae, American monitor lizards
Genus: Ameiva Meyer = Ameiva
Species: Ameiva ameiva = Giant, or North American ameiva
Species: Ameiva polops = Island ameiva
Family: Varanidae Gray, 1827 = Monitor lizards
Family: Xantusiidae Baird, 1858 = Night lizards
Family: Xenosauridae Cope, 1827 = Xenosaurs

Brief description of the detachment

Most lizards are quadrupedal reptiles whose elongated body is covered with horny scales, scutes or grains.. Sizes from 3.5 cm to 4 m (weight up to 150 kg). Among modern representatives of the suborder, forms are widely represented both with well-developed five-fingered limbs and without them; there are transitions between these two extremes, and the loss of legs is usually accompanied by a significant lengthening of the body. Species lacking limbs always retain vestiges of the sternum or other bones of the anterior girdle.
Eyes in most species, they are equipped with movable eyelids, but in geckos, naked eyes and some other lizards, they grow together and turn into transparent films before the eyes. In some species, the eyes are completely hidden under the skin, through which they appear in the form of dark spots. There are eardrums. The bladder is usually present. The anterior part of the braincase is not completely ossified. The right and left branches of the lower jaw are connected to each other motionlessly. There is one (upper) temporal arch formed by the squamous, frontal, or postorbital bones. In some lizards, for example, in a number of species of the skink family, this arch is directly adjacent to the parietal bone, as a result of which the superotemporal fenestra may be absent; in others, for example, in all geckos, there is no temporal arch at all, the postorbital arch is usually developed. The pterygoid bones are connected in front to the palatine bones, by which they are thus separated from the vomer. Most lizards have a cranial column, but in some agamas it is greatly reduced. The quadrate bone is usually mobile. The teeth are attached to the outer edge of the jaws (acrodont) or from their inner side (pleurodont). Often there are also teeth on the palatine, pterygoid, and some other bones.
About 3500 species, 20 families and almost 370 genera are known. In the CIS, there are 77 species belonging to 6 families and 18 genera.
Peculiarities scaly cover lizards are of great importance in identifying. The scales of the body in most groups differ significantly in shape, structure, and size. Dorsal scales are smooth, tuberculate, conical, ribbed, etc. Very small scales are called grains, large scales are called scutes. The scutes on the head reach a significant variety in shape, size and location, where each of them has its own name. In some species, the neck is separated from the body by a row of enlarged scales - a collar, in front of which there is a more or less pronounced transverse throat fold. In a number of species of lizards, in addition to large scutes, there are small scales on the head located between the upper ciliary and supraorbital, frontal and supraorbital, as well as in front and behind the supraorbital scutes. In other cases, the head is covered on top with numerous small, irregularly polygonal scutes or scales.
In some lizards, the dorsal scales are almost the same as the ventral ones, but in most the lower surface of the body is covered with enlarged scutes. On the chest, the shields are usually arranged in a triangle or in a different order; the ventrals go in more or less regular rows, parallel or somewhat oblique with respect to each other. In front of the cloacal fissure, many lizards have an anal shield, in front of which there are sometimes relatively large preanals.
Representatives of some families have special formations on the lower surface of the thigh, the so-called femoral pores; each pore pierces one scale, and all together they are grouped in a row located along the thigh. From the femoral pores during the reproduction period, columns of keratinized cells are protruded, the role of which is not entirely clear. If the row is shortened to 1-3 pores, then they are called inguinal. Some geckos have so-called anal pores, which are a continuation of the femoral in the lower abdomen. Geckos also have postcloacal pores, one on each side of the lower surface of the base of the tail; the opening of such a pore leads to a small pouch, in the anterior wall of which, in males, there is a small curved bone.
The caudal scales are arranged in more or less irregular oblique or regular transverse rows (rings). In a number of cases, the number of scales around the ninth to tenth ring is used as a sign that allows one to determine the type of lizard. Rings should be counted on the lower surface of the tail from the first row of large ventral scales located directly behind the small scales of the precloacal fold.
Vision, especially in diurnal forms, well developed; some species are able to distinguish colors; in this regard, the coloring acquires a signal value. Most have developed a parietal eye, usually regarded as a receptor for the light regime and its seasonal changes. Hearing is well developed; the middle ear has a tympanic membrane; in some species it may be covered by skin. Some lizards make sounds. The means of locomotion are varied, from swimming (marine iguanas), climbing trees and gliding (flying dragon) to traversing shifting sands and sheer cliffs and walls (geckos).
According to the degree of development of the femoral and anal pores in many lizards, one can determine gender. The easiest way to determine the sex of geckos, the females of which are devoid of pores at all. Sex determination in most other lizard species requires some practice. So, in males of the family Lacertidae, especially childbirth Lacerta and Eremias, the femoral pores are better developed than in females and have a slightly different shape, occupying almost the entire scale in which each individual pore is incised. Agamas do not have such pores, but there are shallow so-called precloacal pores that occupy almost the entire surface of the scales, located immediately in front of the cloacal fissure; the allocation of these pores give the scales the appearance of a kind of callus. There are other secondary sex signs to determine sex. Thus, the base of the tail in males gradually thins backwards, while in females this transition is much more pronounced. The sex of freshly killed lizards can be easily determined by the presence or absence of characteristic male genitalia, which usually turn outward immediately when pressure is applied to the base of the tail. In fixed animals, to detect them, it is necessary to make a short longitudinal incision, starting from the lower surface of the base of the tail down. In some species, there are sexual differences in coloration.
Many lizards, being captured, throw off their tail. In the future, a new tail of a slightly modified shape grows in place of the fallen one. A restored (regenerated) tail is usually easy to recognize by a slightly different scale, and often by the color of the regenerated part.
most lizards multiply, laying eggs, but some species are ovoviviparous (fusiparous, viviparous lizard). Food diverse: from small invertebrates to large prey (a giant monitor lizard from Komodo Island preys on wild pigs and deer). Food specialization is expressed in marine iguanas (they eat algae) and some lizards that feed mainly on either termites or slugs. Feeding on various harmful insects and molluscs, they benefit agriculture and forestry. There are no poisonous species among the lizards of our fauna.
A large number of lizard species are found in the CIS, of which most live in the south of the country. But some of them, such as, for example, viviparous and agile lizards ( Lacerta vivipara, L. agilis) are distributed far to the north. In the deserts Central Asia common roundheads ( Phrynocephalus), characterized by a rounded head on a movable neck, their body is covered with small horny tubercles. In the houses and among the rocks of the southern regions of the USSR at night you can meet peculiar geckos ( Geckonidae), deftly running along the walls, and even along the ceiling. In the deserts of Central Asia, a large lizard lives - a gray monitor lizard ( Varanus griseus), the length of which reaches 1.5 m. Monitor lizards living on Komodo Island (Indonesia) reach 3 m.
When identifying lizards, the features of the scaly cover of the body are of great importance, in particular the number and location of individual large head shields.

Literature:
1. Key to amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. Proc. allowance for students of biol. specialties ped. in-comrade. M., "Enlightenment", 1977. 415 p. from ill.; 16 l. ill.
2. Course of zoology. B. A. Kuznetsov, A. Z. Chernov, L. N. Katonova. Moscow, 1989
3. A.G. Bannikov, I.S. Darevsky, A.K. Rustamov. Amphibians and reptiles of the USSR. Publishing house "Thought", Moscow, 1971
4. Naumov N. P., Kartashev N. N. Vertebrate Zoology. - Part 2. - Reptiles, birds, mammals: A textbook for biologist. specialist. Univ. - M.: Higher. school, 1979. - 272 p., ill.

Lizards are reptiles. Most of them have a long tail and 4 legs. But there are also types of lizards that have no legs at all. Only specialists can distinguish them from snakes. The species diversity of this group of reptiles is enormous. They differ not only in size, body structure and color, but also in habits. Moreover, people often call reptiles that are not lizards. In order not to make mistakes, it is useful to know what lizards are.

Data resides especially in many places

general description

These reptiles feel great in forests, mountains, steppes and deserts. Some varieties of lizards have adapted to live in water.

Most reptiles are small in size from 20 to 40 cm, but there are also very large lizards, such as pearl. The length of her body exceeds 80 cm. Giant lizards also live on our planet. It's about about Komodo dragons. Their growth can reach 3 meters.

Separately, it is worth mentioning very small lizards. On average, their height barely reaches 10 cm. South American geckos are considered the smallest of them - their body length with a tail rarely exceeds 4 cm.

The coloration of reptiles is varied. Most often, their scales are painted in those colors that allow them to better camouflage on the ground: green, brown and gray.

Individual representatives of this group of reptiles have a very bright color, consisting of red or blue colors.

They don't have a voice

Lizards have several characteristic features:

1. They have highly mobile eyelids, for example, snakes, which are their closest relatives, have fused eyelids, so they can hardly move their eyeballs.
2. These reptiles, if necessary, can get rid of their tail. When attacked by a predator, the animal breaks its spine and discards the organ, which wriggles for some time, distracting the attention of the enemy.
3. Lizards do not have vocal cords, so they do not make sounds.
4. They have small ears. You can find them on both sides of the head.

Scientists know of only one species that makes at least some sounds - this is the Shtekhlin and Simon lizard. In case of danger, she is able to emit a thin squeak.

Reproduction features

The number of matings in lizards depends on their size. Large reptiles breed only once a year, while small ones are able to mate several times per season.

Males often fight for females. If one of them is larger, then the smaller one will soon leave the battlefield. When both fighters are in equal weight categories, then it can come to serious bloodshed. The winning male is rewarded with a female.

Can lay up to 18 eggs

In some species, the sex ratio is broken, but the lizards do not disappear. The fact is that females begin to lay eggs without the participation of males - this is the so-called parthenogenesis.

Lizards reproduce in two ways: with the help of eggs and live birth. Small species lay up to 18 eggs at a time. Large reptiles lay only a few pieces.

In most cases, females hide their clutches in the ground, sand, under stones, or in the burrows of the rodents they have killed. The egg maturation period lasts from several weeks to 1.5 months. After the appearance of the babies, the female loses all interest in them. Young lizards begin to live an independent life.

Pregnancy in viviparous species lasts 3 months. As a rule, the gestation period falls on the winter. The young are born in winter.

In this video you will learn more about lizards:

Squads of reptiles

Biologists divide all lizards into 6 orders, each of which includes about thirty families. The orders of reptiles are:

1. Skin-like. The order is rich in species diversity. It includes real lizards, widely represented in Russia, but most species live in the tropical regions of the planet. Skink reptiles are found in South America and Africa, Madagascar and Cuba. Separate varieties were discovered by scientists in the Sahara desert.
2. Iguanas. This order includes 14 families of reptiles. The most famous of these is the chameleon found in South America and Madagascar.
3. Geckos. Reptiles belonging to this order are considered rare. It includes lizards that do not have legs. They are found in Australia.
4. Fusiform. These include monitor lizards.
5. Worm lizards. These are the so-called worms. Outwardly, reptiles look more like huge earthworms. They can be found in damp tropical forests Indochina, Indonesia and Mexico.
6. monitor lizards. These lizards are very large. Their weight often exceeds 5 kg. There are a lot of legends about them.

There is only one type of venomous lizard - the gila teeth. During an attack on their prey, they not only bite it, but also inject a dangerous poison under the skin.

Some species can be pets

Pets

Increasingly, people have unusual pets in their homes. It can be insects, spiders and reptiles. Lizards in this list occupy the lion's share. The reason for such popularity of reptiles lies in their cute appearance, calm behavior and relative friendliness. Lizards may well replace a cat or dog.

Panther chameleon

Furcifer pardalis is native to Madagascar. The lizard looks very bright, and its color largely depends on the place where it was born. Male individuals can reach a length of 50 cm, but only in natural conditions. When kept at home, their body length rarely exceeds 25 cm. Females are even smaller. The life span of a panther chameleon does not exceed 6 years.

Females have a less bright color, which is almost the same in different regions of their habitat. Males, on the contrary, are very bright and very different from each other. By their appearance, experienced specialists can determine where this or that individual appeared. The most popular varieties are:

1. Ambilobe chameleon. Born in the northern part of the island between two villages.
2. Sambava. It lives in the northeastern part of Madagascar.
3. The tamatave chameleon is a coastal dweller in the east of the island.

Easily fed from human hands

At home, a panther chameleon should be kept in a terrarium. In the first months of life, a small dwelling measuring 30x30x50 cm is enough for a lizard, but then it will need a larger house.

To bring the pet's living conditions closer to natural, branches, artificial and living plants are laid inside the terrarium. Of the latter, dracaena and ficus should be distinguished. Chameleons love to climb steep surfaces, which means that snags and creepers should be in the serpentarium. The top of the dwelling must be tightly closed. If the cover is removed, then the chameleons, despite their slowness, will quickly run away.

Panther and other types of chameleons do not like human contact. They love peace. If you take a reptile in your hands, then you need to do this only from below. Seeing movement from above, the reptile will regard it as a threat. Over time, chameleons get used to their owners and even begin to recognize them. They willingly approach people during feeding.

This reptile prefers to live in close proximity to water bodies, on the banks of which there are large stones or branches. On them, the agama is heated on sunny days.

The lizard has strong paws with large claws, which are not a weapon, but a tool for convenient movement on various surfaces. The strong and wide tail allows the reptile to swim quickly.

The water agama is considered a large lizard. Taking into account the tail, the length of the female can reach 60 cm. The males are even larger - up to 1 meter. Males differ from females not only in size, but also in color. Moreover, these differences in young lizards are rather weakly expressed.

For home maintenance of a water agama, you will need a very large terrarium. Young individuals can huddle in a 100-liter aquarium for some time, but then the living space for them will have to be significantly expanded.

It’s not for nothing that Agama is called a water agama - she loves to be in the water

Inside the terrarium, be sure to put thick branches. As a substrate, you can use paper and coconut flakes. But the sand is not suitable - the lizard will eat it.

The terraria should have a heating zone with a constant air temperature of +35 °C. Heating is best provided with the help of lamps, since lizards spend most of their time climbing onto snags.

Agamas love to swim, so you need to place a pond inside the terrarium. In addition, you will have to maintain the humidity of the air at least 60%. You can do this with a spray gun.

There should not be 2 males in one terrarium. They will not be able to get along and will definitely fight.

Eublefar or spotted gecko is perhaps the most popular view for those who like to keep exotic at home. This lizard is very calm and peaceful. She feels great in small terraria. Geckos are easy to care for. In addition, this type of reptile is distinguished by a variety of colors.

In nature, eublefar lives in the dry steppes and rocky semi-deserts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The lizard is active at dusk and early in the morning. At this time, the air temperature is most comfortable for her.

Spotted geckos prefer to live alone. They jealously guard their territory. Males prefer to communicate with females only during the mating season.

One gecko will thrive in a 50 liter terrarium. However, if the owner plans to breed these reptiles, then you will have to buy a larger terrarium.

Eublefar cannot walk on smooth terrain

Can't climb smooth surfaces, so the dwelling can not be covered with a lid. But if there are other pets at home, especially cats, then it is better to close the terrarium.

In one house, you can safely keep several females at once, if they are of the same age and size. There will be no enmity between them. But the males will certainly fight. Moreover, males do not get along with females. They will take food from females and slaughter them, so males should be kept alone.

In a terrarium, spotted geckos should have places with high and low temperatures. The maximum temperature indicators are +32 °C, the minimum - not lower than +22 °C. This parameter must be monitored with two thermometers. Overheating or hypothermia will lead to pet illnesses.

collared iguana

This medium-sized lizard lives in the southeastern United States. Its maximum length, together with the tail, is 35 cm. Under natural conditions, it lives for about 8 years, and in captivity - no more than 4.

The collared iguana is a very strong and fast predator. According to biologists, if its size were comparable to the size of monitor lizards, it would easily displace the latter. This reptile effectively preys on other reptiles and rodents. She does not disdain insects.

The iguana moves very fast. Accelerating to a speed of 26 km / h, it attacks prey and kills it with powerful jaws in several movements.

The lizard has a high metabolism, so keeping it at home is not easy, because you have to feed it often. Large cockroaches, beetles, mice serve as food.

An iguana needs a spacious enclosure with an ultraviolet heater. You can keep it in a terrarium, but then it must be very large. The temperature in the lizard's dwelling should be maintained at +27 ° C, and in the heating zone - up to + 41-43 ° C. There is no need to make a separate pond, it is enough to put a drinking bowl. Spray water from a spray bottle from time to time.

Communication with iguanas should be careful. They are hard to get used to the hands of a person and, if handled carelessly, can injure their jaws.

Lizards are the most numerous and widespread group of modern reptiles. Appearance lizards are extremely diverse. Their head, body, legs and tail may be modified to some extent and deviate considerably from the usual type familiar to everyone. In some species, the body is noticeably compressed from the sides, in others it is valky or flattened from top to bottom, in others it is cylindrically shortened or elongated, like in snakes, from which some lizards are almost indistinguishable in appearance. Most species have two pairs of developed five-fingered limbs, but in some cases only the front or back pair of legs is preserved, and the number of fingers can be reduced to four, three, two and one, or they are completely absent.

Most lizards are characterized by incomplete ossification of the anterior part of the skull, the presence of an sometimes incompletely closed upper temporal arch, a strong fusion of the upper jaws with the rest of the cranial bones, and the presence of special columnar bones connecting the roof of the skull to its base. The jaws of lizards are equipped, as a rule, with well-developed single-apex or multi-apex teeth, which are attached from the inside (pleurodont) or to the outer edge (acrodont teeth). Often there are also teeth on the palatine, pterygoid, and some other bones. Often they are differentiated into false canines, incisors and molars. Acrodont teeth wear down as the animal ages and are no longer replaced.

In species with pleurodont teeth, the broken or lost tooth is replaced by a new one growing under or next to the old one.

The language of lizards is extremely diverse in structure, form, and partly in the function it performs. Wide, fleshy and relatively inactive in geckos and agamas, it is strongly elongated, deeply forked, very mobile and able to be drawn into a special vagina in monitor lizards. The bifurcation of the tongue observed in many species, combined with its high mobility, is associated, in addition to touch, also with the function of the Jacobson organ that opens inside the mouth, which has already been mentioned above. A short and thick tongue is often used when capturing prey, and in chameleons it is thrown far from the mouth for this.

The skin of lizards is covered with horny scales, the nature and location of which varies greatly, which is of decisive importance for taxonomy. In many species, large scales located on the head and other parts of the body increase to the size of scutes, each of which receives special name. Often on the head and body there are tubercles, spikes, horns, ridges or other horny outgrowths formed by modified scales and sometimes reaching considerable sizes in males.

Some groups of lizards are characterized by the occurrence under the scales of the body and head of special bone plates - osteoderms, which, articulated with each other, can form a continuous bone shell. In all species, the upper horny layer of the scales is shed during periodic molts and is replaced by a new one.

The shape and size of the tail is very diverse. As a rule, it gradually becomes thinner towards the end and differs in considerable length, noticeably exceeding the body and head combined. However, in some cases it is shortened like a blunt cone, thickened at the end in the form of a radish, flattened spatulately, or has another unusual shape. More often oval or round in cross section, it is often compressed in a horizontal or vertical plane in the form of an oar. Finally, in a number of lizards, the tail is tenacious or capable of twisting like a spiral.

Many lizards have the ability to involuntarily break off their tail as a result of a sharp contraction of the muscles. The fracture occurs along a special non-ossified layer across one of the vertebrae, and not between them, where the connection is stronger. The discarded tail bounces to the side and twitches convulsively, sometimes retaining mobility for up to half a day. Soon the tail grows back, but the vertebrae are not restored, but are replaced by a cartilaginous rod, which is why a new detachment is possible only higher than the previous one. Often the torn tail is not completely separated, but still grows a new one, resulting in the appearance of two-tailed and multi-tailed individuals. It is interesting that in many cases the scales of the reconstructed tail differ from the normal one, and it has features of more ancient species.

The dry skin of lizards is devoid of glands, but some roundheads (Phrynocephalus) have real skin glands on their backs, the function of which is not entirely clear.

In representatives of a number of families, on the lower surface of the thighs, the so-called femoral pores are arranged in rows - special iron-like formations, from which columns of hardened secretion protrude in males during the breeding season. In other species, such formations are located in front of the anus or on its sides, respectively, called the anal and inguinal pores.

The smallest known lizards (some geckos) reach a length of only 3.5-4 cm, while the largest monitor lizards grow at least up to 3 m, weighing 150 kg. As a rule, males are larger than females, but in some cases, females, on the contrary, are noticeably larger than males.

The eyes of lizards are in most cases well developed and protected by eyelids, of which only the lower one is movable, while the upper one is greatly shortened and usually loses its mobility. Along with this, in many species, the moving eyelids are replaced by a solid transparent shell covering the eye like a watch glass, like in snakes. On the example of a number of species from various systematic groups, it is easy to trace the gradual stages of the transition from opaque separate eyelids to the appearance of a first transparent window in the still mobile lower eyelid and further to the complete fusion of the lower eyelid with the upper one and the formation of an already immovable window in it. Such fused eyelids are present in most nocturnal lizards - geckos, a number of legless and burrowing species, as well as in some skinks and other lizards, as well as a diurnal and nocturnal lifestyle. In many burrowing species, the eyes are greatly reduced in size, and in some cases they are completely overgrown with skin, through which they appear in the form of faintly visible dark spots. Nocturnal lizards, as a rule, have significantly enlarged eyes with a pupil in the form of a vertical slit with straight or sawtooth cut edges. In the retina of the eyes of diurnal lizards there are special elements of color vision - cones, thanks to which they are able to distinguish all colors of the solar spectrum. In most nocturnal species, light-sensitive elements are represented by rods, and the perception of colors is not available to them.

As a rule, lizards have good hearing. The tympanic membrane may be located openly on the sides of the head, hidden under the scales of the body, or may be completely overgrown with skin, so that the external auditory opening disappears. Sometimes it, together with the tympanic cavity, is reduced, and the animal is able to perceive sound only in a seismic way, that is, by pressing its whole body against the substrate.

Most lizards emit only a dull hiss or snort. More or less loud sounds - squeaking, clicking, chirping or croaking - are capable of producing different geckos, which is achieved with the help of a tongue or by rubbing horny scales against each other. In addition to geckos, some can also “squeal” quite loudly. sand lizards(Psammodromus).

The sense of smell is less developed than other senses, but some lizards may well find prey by smell.

The nostrils of many, especially desert species, are closed with special valves that prevent sand from entering the nasal cavity. Some lizards have a well-developed sense of taste and willingly drink, for example, sugar syrup, choosing it among tasteless solutions. However, their taste sensitivity to bitter substances is negligible. Many lizards have tactile hairs formed from keratinized cells of the upper layer of the skin and regularly located along the edges of individual scales. In different places of the trunk and head, in addition, special tactile spots are often located, on which sensitive cells are concentrated.

Many lizards have a so-called third, or parietal, eye, usually noticeable as a small light spot in the center of one of the scutes covering the back of the head. In its structure, it somewhat resembles an ordinary eye and can perceive certain light stimuli, transmitting them along a special nerve to the brain. Acting on the most important endocrine gland - the pituitary gland, light signals stimulate the sexual activity of animals, which occurs only at a certain length of daylight hours. According to the latest data, this body also produces necessary for the body vitamins of group D. However, the mechanism of action of the parietal eye is still not completely elucidated.

The coloration of lizards is extremely diverse and, as a rule, harmonizes well with the environment. In species that live in deserts, light, sandy tones predominate; lizards living on dark rocks often have a brown, almost black color, and lizards living on tree trunks and branches are dotted with brown and brown spots resembling bark and moss. Many woody species are colored in the color of green foliage. A similar coloration is characteristic of a number of agamas, iguanas and geckos. The general coloration of the body largely depends on the nature of the pattern, which can be composed of individual symmetrically located spots, longitudinal or transverse stripes and rings, rounded eyes, or spots and specks randomly scattered throughout the body. In combination with the color of the main background of the body, these patterns further camouflage the animal in the surrounding area, hiding it from enemies. Diurnal species are characterized by very bright reds, blues and yellows, while nocturnal species are usually more uniformly colored. The coloration of some lizards varies significantly depending on sex and age, with males and juveniles usually more brightly colored.

A number of species tend to quickly change color under the influence of changes in the environment or under the influence of internal states - excitement, fright, hunger, etc. This ability is inherent in some iguanas, geckos, agamas and other lizards. Maximum number of lizard species in tropical and subtropical zones the globe, in countries with a temperate climate, there are fewer of them, and the farther to the north and south, the more and more their number is reduced. For example, only one species reaches the Arctic Circle - the viviparous lizard.

The life of some lizards is closely connected with water, and although there are no real marine forms among lizards, one of them is Galapagos iguana(Amblyrhynchus cristatus) penetrates the coastal waters of the ocean.

In the mountains, lizards rise to the level of eternal snows, living at an altitude of up to 5000 meters above sea level.

Under specific environmental conditions, lizards acquire the corresponding features of specialization. So, in desert forms, special horny scallops develop on the sides of the fingers - sandy skis, which allow you to quickly move along the loose sand surface and dig holes. In other cases, such skis are replaced by extensions of the fingers or the formation of special membranes between them, resembling swimming ones.

Lizards living in trees and rocks usually have long and prehensile limbs with sharp claws and often a prehensile tail that aids in climbing. Many geckos that spend their entire lives on vertical surfaces have special extensions on the underside of their fingers with tiny tenacious hairs that can attach to the substrate. In many limbless and burrowing lizards, the body is elongated serpentine. Such adaptations to certain living conditions in lizards are extremely different, and almost always they concern not only features external structure or anatomy, but also affect many important physiological functions of the body related to nutrition, reproduction, water metabolism, rhythm of activity, thermoregulation, etc.

The optimum environmental temperature, most favorable for the life of lizards, lies in the range of 26-42 ° C, and in tropical and desert species it is higher than in the inhabitants of the temperate zone, and in nocturnal forms, as a rule, it is lower than in daytime ones. When the temperature rises above the optimum, the lizards hide in the shade, and when the limit temperatures are established for a long time, they completely stop their activity, falling into the state of the so-called summer hibernation. The latter is often observed in desert and arid regions in the south. In temperate latitudes, lizards leave for wintering in autumn, which in different species lasts from 1.5-2 to 7 months a year. Often they overwinter several tens or even hundreds of individuals in one shelter.

The whole life of lizards takes place within a rather limited territory, which varies widely in different species from two or three to several tens, hundreds or thousands. square meters. As a rule, in individuals of different sexes and ages, the size of the habitat area is different, and in young people it is larger than in adults, and in females it is often larger than in males. Sometimes there is an even more limited "center of activity" within the main area where the hideout is located. In tree species, the site is often limited to one or more trees, and sometimes only a separate branch or trunk segment. The habitats of individuals usually overlap to some extent, however, as a rule, only one adult lizard of a given species lives in the centers of activity.

As shelters, lizards serve their own or burrows belonging to other animals. Many take refuge in cracks or voids between stones, under the bark and hollows of trees, in heaps of fallen leaves or brushwood, and other such places; some settle in the nests of ants and termites, getting along well with their restless inhabitants. Often, in addition to the main one, there are several more temporary shelters located in various places on the site. Possessing a good topographic memory, lizards unmistakably find their shelter, even if they are far away from it. Special studies have established that at least some of them are able to navigate by determining the direction of the sun, like birds and some other animals.

The degree of mobility and the manner of movement in different lizards are very different. Some legless forms burrow in the ground like worms. Larger legless lizards move, serpentine curving with their whole body. Species with underdeveloped limbs act in the same way, drawing their legs close to the body and practically not using them when moving.

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In lizards, the transition from real crawling on the belly to a gradual lifting of the body above the substrate and, finally, to movement with the torso raised high on the legs is clearly traced. Inhabitants of open spaces are characterized by movement at a fast trot, and many of them switch to running on two legs, which is observed not only in exotic, but also in some species of our fauna. It is curious that the South American iguana Basiliscus americanus can even run short distances in this state through the water, slapping its hind legs on its surface. The ability to run fast is combined, as a rule, with the presence of a long tail, which plays the role of a balancer, as well as a rudder for turns on the run.

Many geckos move in very short dashes, staying in one place for a long time. Arboreal species develop the ability to climb, which often involves a prehensile tail. Finally, some specialized forms, such as flying dragons(Draco), are capable of gliding flight thanks to skin folds on the sides of the body, supported by highly elongated ribs. The ability to plan flight is characteristic of some geckos, which have expanded skin folds on the sides of the body and on the tail. Many lizards jump well, grabbing prey on the fly. Some desert species have adapted to "swimming" in the thickness of the sand, in which they spend most of their lives.

Most lizards are carnivores, feeding on all kinds of animals that they can grab and overpower. The main food of small and medium-sized species are insects, spiders, worms, molluscs and other invertebrates. Larger lizards eat small vertebrates - rodents, birds and their eggs, frogs, snakes, other lizards, and carrion. A smaller number of lizards are herbivorous. Their food consists of fruits, seeds and succulent parts of plants. However, even among herbivores, young individuals, as a rule, feed on insects at first and only later begin to feed on plants, losing their predatory instincts. Many lizards are equally willing to eat both plant and animal food.

Cannibalism is inherent in some species: adults pursue and eat young individuals of the same species.

Food specialization in lizards is relatively rare. So, marine iguanas feed mainly on one type of algae, other lizards eat almost exclusively ants or termites, often also only one species. South American caiman lizard(Dracaena guianensis) feeds on naked slugs and molluscs, the shells of which are easily crushed by specialized teeth.

The lizards slowly sneak up on the prey and then grab it in the final throw. As a rule, the prey is eaten whole, but may be preliminarily torn apart by the jaws. Like other reptiles, lizards are able to remain without food for a long time, consuming reserves nutrients deposited in fat bodies located in the body cavity. In many species, in particular in geckos, fat is also deposited in the tail, the size of which is greatly increased. Lizards drink water by licking it with their tongue or scooping it up with their lower jaw. Desert species are content with water in the body of the prey they eat, and in some of them it can accumulate in special sac-like formations located in the abdominal cavity.

At desert iguanas of the genus Sauromalus, on the sides of the body under the skin, there are special lymphatic sacs filled with a gelatinous fluid, which largely consists of water accumulated during rains and then slowly consumed during a period of prolonged drought.

In countries with a pronounced change of seasons, lizards start breeding in the spring soon after waking up from wintering. Males of many species acquire bright mating coloration by this time. In the tropics, with a year-round even and warm climate, many lizards breed throughout the year or with a short break during a severe drought or during the rainy season.

During the breeding season, sexually mature males are very excited, take specific demonstrative postures, combining them with certain signal movements characteristic of this species, allowing rivals to recognize each other from afar. Demonstrative poses are extremely varied and may consist of lifting on the hind or front legs, flattening or strongly squeezing the body, raising, twisting or lowering the tail, shaking and nodding the head, etc. Opponents usually quickly run up to each other, and then slowly, as usually sideways, approaching, demonstrating a flattened or laterally compressed body that therefore looks exorbitantly enlarged; at the same time, males often inflate their throats, protrude horny ridges, skin folds, etc.

A larger and stronger male pushes the weaker one, making false attacks, but without using his jaws, until he takes flight. However, bloodless “fights of intimidation” often turn into real fights, in which males bite frantically, hit with their tails or try to knock each other over on their backs. Often they use the horny outgrowths, spikes or horns on their heads as weapons (this is especially characteristic of chameleons). As a result, the defeated, often bleeding male leaves the battlefield, and the winner pursues him for some time, but then quickly calms down. In some cases, battles end in the death of one of the opponents, although this is extremely rare.

Many lizards are characterized by peculiar mating games, during which the male demonstrates a bright body color in front of the female, taking specific “courtship” postures, to which the female responds with certain signal body movements, consisting, for example, in swaying or trembling of raised front legs and wriggling of the tail.

In some species, for example, many iguanas and agamas, there are "harems" when several females live on the site of one male. The male vigilantly guards his "harem" or territory, immediately assuming threatening postures at the sight of suitable rivals. However, for protection, one kind of owner is often enough, sitting somewhere on a hill and from time to time defiantly making signal gestures, notifying potential rivals that the site is occupied. Males of some geckos, sitting in a shelter, periodically emit a signal call, and males of neighboring areas respond with a similar call.

When mating, male lizards hold the female with their jaws by the neck, by the sides of the body or at the base of the tail, and at first they grab her, as a rule, by the tail.

The vast majority of lizards lay eggs, the number of which in one clutch ranges from 1-2 in the smallest species to 8-20 in medium-sized and several dozen in large lizards.

Many small species, in particular geckos, lay eggs in small portions several times per season.

The shape and size of the eggs also vary. More often they are oval or elongated along the longitudinal axis, less often completely round, slightly pointed at the ends or curved in the form of a pod. In the smallest known lizards - some geckos and skinks - the laid eggs reach only 4-5 mm in diameter, while in large monitor lizards they are not inferior in size to a goose egg and weigh 150-200 g. The eggs are enclosed in a thin, moisture-permeable, colorless leathery a shell capable of stretching during the development of the embryo, which is why the size of recently laid eggs is always noticeably smaller than those in which young ones should hatch. Only in geckos and some legless lizards the eggs are covered with a hard calcareous shell. Such eggs - soft when laid - quickly harden in the air, and then their size remains unchanged throughout the entire period of development.

The female lays eggs several times a season in portions of 2-4 eggs in different places or in one clutch. Usually she lays them in a hole or in a shallow hole, then sprinkling them with earth. Often, eggs are laid under stones, in cracks in rocks, in hollows or under the bark of trees, in wood dust, and by some geckos they stick to tree trunks and branches. Often several females lay their eggs in the same place, where they accumulate several tens or even hundreds.

A smaller number of lizards are ovoviviparous. Their eggs, devoid of a dense shell, develop inside the mother's body, and the cubs are born alive, freeing themselves from the thin film that dresses them while still in the oviducts or immediately after birth. Real live birth has been established only in some skinks and American night lizards xanthusia, the embryos of which are fed through a false placenta - blood vessels in the walls of the mother's oviducts. Live birth is usually associated with harsh living conditions, such as living in the far north or high in the mountains.

In most cases, having laid eggs, the female never returns to them, and the developing embryos are left to their own devices. Real care for offspring is observed only in some skinks and spindles, the females of which wrap themselves around the laid eggs, periodically turn them over, protect them from enemies, help the young to get rid of the shell and, staying with them for the first time after hatching, give them food and protect them in case of danger. Some skinks are even capable of distinguishing their own eggs from those of others by feeling them with their tongue, and in specially delivered experiments they were always unmistakably found and even transferred to their original place.

The duration of development of the embryo inside the egg is very different. In species that live in temperate climates, for example, in most lizards of our fauna, embryos develop 30-60 days and young ones are born in late summer or early autumn. In species living in the tropics, the duration of development often increases dramatically, reaching 8-9 months. Biologically, this is due to the fact that the time of the appearance of the young is timed here for the most favorable period of the year, for example, the end of the rainy season * Some species of lizards lay eggs with almost fully developed embryos, so that the young can hatch into the light in the next few days. By the time of hatching from the egg, the embryos develop a special egg tooth in the front corner of the mouth, with which, shaking its head, the young lizard, like a razor, cuts a slit in the egg shell to exit. Many geckos develop two of these teeth; in some cases, egg teeth are replaced by a dense horny tubercle.

Sexual maturity in some lizards occurs as early as the next year after birth, while in others in the 2nd-4th or even 5th year of life.

AT recent times in a number of lizards, the phenomenon of so-called parthenogenesis was discovered, when females lay unfertilized eggs, in which, nevertheless, normal offspring develop. This phenomenon has been established in certain forms of the Caucasian rock lizard, North American teiid from the genus Chemidophorus and exists, perhaps, in some geckos and agamas. Males are absent during parthenogenesis, and such species are represented by only females.

Lizards have a lot of enemies. Lizards are eaten by all kinds of birds: herons, storks, eagles, buzzards, harriers, hawks, kestrels, kites, secretaries, owls, owls, crows, magpies and many others. No less terrible enemies of lizards are all kinds of snakes, many of which specialized in feeding exclusively on lizards. They eat lizards and mammals - badgers, polecats, foxes, viverras, mongooses, hedgehogs, etc. Finally, some large lizards, such as monitor lizards, eat smaller ones. When attacked by enemies, lizards in most cases flee or hide motionless, disguising themselves as the surrounding background. The latter is especially effective when attacking snakes, which, as a rule, only hunt for moving prey.

The only lizards that are poisonous and therefore dangerous to predators are the North American lizards (Heloderma) when in danger they do not hide or run away, but defiantly remain in place, trusting their bright warning color, consisting of combinations of pink, yellow and black. Often a lizard manages to escape from a predator, leaving a writhing discarded tail in its claws or mouth. In a number of species capable of autotomy, the tail is very brightly colored, which, perhaps, attracts the attention of a predator to it.

Many lizards have a so-called warning behavior that scares off the enemy. In many ways, it resembles the mating habits of excited males described above and can consist in standing up on its paws, waving its head with its mouth open to the limit, puffing up the body, sharp flapping of the tail, etc. All this is usually accompanied by a loud hiss or snort. So, in the Australian frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingi), simultaneously with the opening of the mouth, a very wide, hitherto invisible collar with bright colored spots unfolds, and in the eared round-headed lizard common in Central Asia, special folds with jagged edges protrude at the corners of the mouth, which look due to blood flow as a continuation of a huge mouth with bared fangs, for which it is easy to take two palatine folds protruding from above.

Sometimes lizards are capable of attacking the enemy themselves, and their bites are very sensitive, and in large species they are simply dangerous. Biting the enemy, they tightly clench their teeth, close their eyes and, having relaxed the body, hang in a state of a kind of trance. It is often easier to break an animal's jaw than to make it loosen its grip. Monitor lizards and some other species, defending themselves, can inflict painful blows with their tail. Different lizards, when attacked by enemies, take very peculiar poses of passive defense.

The lifespan of lizards varies greatly. In many relatively small species, it does not exceed 1-3 years, while large iguanas and monitor lizards live for 50-70 years or more. Some lizards have survived 20-30 or even 50 years in captivity.

Most lizards benefit by eating a significant amount of harmful insects and invertebrates. The meat of some large species is quite edible, which is why they are often the object of a special trade, and the skin of these reptiles is also used by humans. In a number of countries, the capture and extermination of some lizards is prohibited by law.

Currently, about 3500 species of various lizards are known, usually united in 20 families and almost 350 genera.

Canada part of the world has its own groups of lizards, which reach their peak here and are represented by the maximum number of species. So, for Europe, the family is characteristic real lizards- (Lacertilia, Sauria), suborder of reptiles. As a rule, small animals with well-developed limbs, the closest relatives of snakes. Together they form a separate evolutionary line of reptiles. The main distinguishing feature of its representatives ... ... Collier Encyclopedia

Suborder of reptiles of the scaly order. Body length from a few centimeters to 3 m or more (Komodo lizard), covered with keratinized scales. Most have well developed limbs. More than 3900 species, on all continents (except Antarctica), ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

This article is about the lizard family. For sources of electromagnetic radiation in the nuclei of galaxies of the same name, see Lacertides (astronomy). ? Real lizards ... Wikipedia

- (Darevsky) ... Wikipedia

Worm-like lizards Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates Class ... Wikipedia

Lizards Illustration from Ernst Haeckel's book, Kunstformen der Natur. 1904 Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates Class ... Wikipedia

Lizards are the largest group of reptiles. In everyday life, lizards are often called generally all reptiles with legs (excluding turtles and crocodiles), but in the scientific community this title is mainly worn by representatives of the family of real lizards and several other species. Here they will be discussed in this article, and other related species - skinks, geckos, agamas, iguanas, monitor lizards - will be considered separately.

Pearl or decorated lizard (Lacerta lepida).

Real lizards are mostly small to medium in size. The largest member of the family - the pearl lizard - reaches a length of 80 cm, other species usually do not exceed 20-40 cm, one of the smallest are numerous foot-and-mouth disease, their length together with the tail is not more than 10 cm. A distinctive feature of real lizards is movable eyelids ( the main difference from snakes, in which the eyelids are fused), an elongated, thin body with a long tail and medium-sized paws. In desert species, the paws have long fingers with lateral teeth, which allows the lizard not to fall into quicksand. Another one interesting feature lizards is the ability to autotomy (self-mutilation). Of course, lizards do not mutilate themselves for no reason, but in case of danger, they can break the spine in the tail section by contraction of the muscles and discard the tail. The tail continues to writhe and distracts the attention of the enemy, the lizard eventually grows a new tail.

The tail always breaks in the same “programmed” place, if the growth point is broken, then the lizard can grow two tails.

The coloration of real lizards is always a combination of several colors, usually green, brown and gray. In desert species, the color is yellowish, exactly imitating the texture of sand. At the same time, many species have bright parts of the body (throat, abdomen, spots on the sides), painted in blue, azure, yellow, red. In lizards, sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed: males are slightly larger than females and are brighter colored (although the pattern is the same for both sexes), the pattern of young individuals differs from adults. Lizards are voiceless and do not make any sounds, with the exception of Stehlin's and Simon's lizards with canary islands, these species squeak in moments of danger.

Quick, or common lizard (Lacerta agilis).

Real lizards live only in the Old World - in Europe, Asia and Africa. South Asia, islands indian ocean and Madagascar do not have them. Several species have been introduced to North America, where they successfully settled in the western United States. The habitats of lizards are diverse, they can be seen in meadows, steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, forests, gardens, shrubs, mountains, river banks and cliffs. Lizards stay on the ground or climb low shrubs, grass stalks and tree trunks. All species are able to move along vertical surfaces, clinging to cracks in the bark and uneven ground, but mountain species have achieved special perfection in this. Rock lizards and species close to them can run along bare steep rocks, jump from a height of 3-4 m.

The long tail not only does not interfere with the lizard, but also helps it to maneuver between the grass stalks.

These animals are diurnal and only representatives of the family of nocturnal lizards (close to real ones) are active mainly at night. In any case, lizards prefer to go hunting in the morning and at sunset, at noon they are less active. Lizards live alone and adhere to permanent habitats. They live in burrows, cracks in the soil, bark, crevices between stones. These are very mobile and cautious animals, they usually sit and look around the surroundings, seeing a suspicious movement, freeze for a while, and when the enemy approaches, they run away. They run very fast, rearranging all the limbs in turn, some desert species can run several meters for hind legs or burrow into the sand. In addition, in the deserts, lizards are often forced to raise their legs in turn to avoid burns from hot sand.

Reticulated foot-and-mouth disease (Eremias grammica) lives in deserts, long fingers help it to move along the sand.

Lizards feed almost exclusively on invertebrates, only the largest individuals can catch a small rodent, snake or eat bird masonry. Lizards usually prey on insects and spiders, and they catch quite mobile species (butterflies, locusts, grasshoppers, etc.), less often they eat snails, slugs, and worms. These animals do not have special adaptations for hunting (sticky tongue, poison). Lizards first sneak up on prey, and then with a sharp throw overtake and catch with their mouths, when eating, they first chew and crush the hard wings of insects, tear off inedible parts, and then swallow. Some species from time to time eat the fruits of plants (opuntia, cherries, sweet cherries, grapes, viburnum).

Stehlin's lizard (Gallotia stehlini) eats prickly pear fruit.

Small species breed several times a season, large ones once a year. The breeding season falls on spring-early summer and depends on the habitat (the further north the range, the later the mating season begins). The males look out for the female and pursue her by running. If two males meet each other, then they approach the opponent sideways, trying to appear larger. The smaller one surrenders and yields, if the rivals are equal in size, then they begin to bite, and their fights are fierce and often accompanied by bloodshed. The winner most often grabs the female by the abdomen near the hind legs and mates with her. The mating ritual of a three-lined lizard is rather strange: the male grabs the female by the back of the body, lifts her above the ground so that she rests on the soil only with her front paws, and starts running with the female in her mouth. In rock lizards and other mountain species, the sex ratio is sharply disturbed, the proportion of males in the population is 0-5%, so females lay eggs without fertilization. This method of reproduction is called parthenogenesis.

The female lays from 2-4 (in small species) to 18 (in large species) eggs. Eggs are buried in the soil, forest litter, hide in burrows, under stones. The duration of incubation depends on the temperature environment and species, it lasts from 3 weeks to 1.5 months. Parents do not care about laying and offspring. Young lizards immediately after hatching start an independent life and are able to get food themselves. After 3 months of pregnancy, viviparous lizards give birth to live cubs, in the north of the range the embryos can occasionally even overwinter in the mother's body, and in the extreme south of the range the same species lays eggs. The life expectancy of lizards usually does not exceed 3-5 years.

Viviparous lizard (Lacerta vivipara, or Zootoca vivipara).

In nature, these animals have many enemies. They are hunted by snakes, storks, cranes, kingfishers, crows, shrikes, small falcons, hoopoes. To protect the lizard, they use different methods: fast running with sharp unexpected turns, burrowing into the sand or forest floor, freezing (a hidden lizard cannot be thrown off a bush), simple disguise (a lizard, for example, can hide on the back of a tree trunk, furtively watching the pursuer ). The caught lizard throws off its tail or bites; it is not so easy to hold this nimble animal in your hands. But numerous mountain species of lizards (rocky, Armenian, etc.), when caught, sometimes grab themselves by the hind leg and curl up into a ring. This position is not accidental, because the main enemy of these species is snakes, which always swallow their prey from the head, but such a living ring is beyond the power of a snake to swallow.

Lizards do not harm people, but there are benefits from them. These animals exterminate harmful insects and are themselves an integral link in the food chain. A number of species with a very narrow range are listed in the Red Book, their numbers are negatively affected by plowing and fires.