Lizards Everywhere

Lizards belong to the reptilia class and there are over 5600 species. They can be found on all continents except Antartica so they are a widespread group of the animal kingdom.

Lizards come in all shapes and sizes but one thing they generally have in common is that they have external ears and legs. I know that I was always taught that this is one way of distinguishing a lizard from a snake, but there are legless lizards, so this is not always accurate. Lizards, such as geckos, can be only a few centimenters long whereas large lizards, like the Komodo dragon can grow to be almost 3 meters long.

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Impressive Iguanas

There are two species of lizards that are part of the genus Iguana - the green iguana and the Lesser Antillean iguana. Iguanas are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, as well as several islands in Polynesia and the Caribbean.

Funny Colorful Iguana Design Post Card by Petspower

Both species of iguanas have a row of spines running down their backs to their tails, a dewlap (a flap of skin that hangs under their jaw) and a third "eye" on their heads, known as the parietal eye.

Dragons - Real and Mythical

Did you know that dragons are not purely mythical creatures from fairy tales? That's right, there are seven species of lizards which are commonly known as bearded dragons. They generally live in the dry, semi-desert regions of Australia.

Baby Dragon - blank notecard
by seashell2

For most of us, when we think of dragons we imagine the mythical creatures from stories and tales - they can be scary or as cute as can be. I like the cute ones!

Cute Funky Pattern Dragon Design Postcard
by giftsbonanza

Chameleons

Chameleons are a really interesting type of lizard and there are over 160 species of chameleons which can be found in a number of countries including Spain, Portugal and throughout Africa and South Asia.

chameleon on a twig
by greendeer

Chameleons have very distinctive eyes and they are able to rotate the eyes independently of each other and focus on two separate objects. This effectively gives them a full 360 degree view around the bodies.

Chameleons also have very long tongues which can be extended very quickly (faster than the human eye is able to follow). This means that they are able to catch their prey very quickly before the prey has any idea of what is about to happen.