Nile Monitor

                           NILE MONITOR

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-    Varanus niloticus

OCCURRENCE :-           South to east of the Sahara to Cape Province

HABITAT :-                  Forest,Open country

SIZE :-                         Length over 2 m

FAMILY :-                    Varanidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a strong elongate lizard with long neck and well-developed limbs having huge claws.
2. It has a broad , strong prehensile tail which it uses as a rudder while swimming and also as a fifth limb while perching on branches.
3. It stays near the water and feeds on frogs , snails , fish , eggs and young ones of crocodiles.
4. Males fight aggressively by rearing up on their hind legs and wrestling with their forelimbs.
5. The female lays upto 60 eggs in a termite mound by tearing up a hole in the wall.
6. The termites repair the wall thus sealing the eggs to safety while they hatch.

                                                                

Platted Lizard

                         PLATTED LIZARD

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-    Gerrhosaurus flavigularis

OCCURRENCE :-           Sudan,Ethiopia,Cape Province

HABITAT :-                  Grassland , Scrub

SIZE :-                         Length 45.5 cm

FAMILY :-                    Cordylidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a slender , ground-living lizard usually greenish-grey or brownish with a red or yellow throat and often a narrow stripe down each side.
2. It has hard bony plates underneath the external scales and head shields are fused to the skull . This undercoat of armour is not continuous over the whole body.
3. It has well developed limbs with five toes on each foot and a very long tail.
4. It is a burrowing lizard and darts into its harrow at the first hint of danger.
5. It feeds mainly on insects.
6. The female lays a clutch of 4 or 5 eggs in a hole which she digs in the soil.

Jungle Runner

                        JUNGLE RUNNER 

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-     Ameiva ameiva

OCCURRENCE :-           Central America,S.America,East of Andes,USA,Florida

HABITAT :-                  Open grassland

SIZE :-                        Length 15 to 20 cm

FAMILY :-                    Teiidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a ground living slender active lizard with a thin , whip-like tail and long , forked tongue which can be extended out to catch the prey.
2. The male is larger than female and has prominent light spots on the body which are replaced by distinctive stripes along the body in females.
3. It is active in the morning and feeds on insects , spiders , small lizards , snails and other small invertebrates.
4. The female lays a clutch of 1-4 eggs after mating.

                      EARLESS MONITER

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-   Lanthanotus borneensis

OCCURRENCE :-          Sarawak

HABITAT :-                 Forest

SIZE :-                        Length upto 43 cm

FAMILY :-                   Varanidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It has elongate , slender , flattened body with short and strong limbs each having five digits.
2. The forked tail can be flicked in and out of the mouth.
3. There is a small tubercle on each body scale , the eyes have movable lids , the lower one having transparent windows and there is no external ear opening.
4. It leads a subterranean life and shirks from bright light.
5. It feeds on fish , snails etc.
6. The female lays eggs in a hole in the ground and buries them while they incubate.

Florida Worm Lizard

                    FLORIDA WORM LIZARD

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-  Rhineura floridana

OCCURRENCE :-         N. AND C.Florida

HABITAT :-                Sandy , Wooded areas

SIZE :-                       Length 18 to 40.5 cm

FAMILY :-                  Amphis baenidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. Blind , limbless and worm like lizard has a cylindrical body 0.5 cm in diameter and ringed with small scale.
2. It has a shovel-shaped head and the tail is covered with horny scales.
3. It has no external ear openings.
4. They prefer moist habitat as their body quickly dehydrates in dry soil.
5. It spends a subterranean life feeding on worms , spiders , termites etc.
6. They can build a semi-permanent tunnel systems with its spade like snout.
7. The lizard lays 3 long , thin eggs in a burrow.

Legless Skink

                          LEGLESS SKINK

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-     Acontias sp.

OCCURRENCE :-            South Africa , Madagascar

HABITAT :-                   Sandy regions

SIZE :-                          Length 10 cm

FAMILY :-                     Scincidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. Limbless and subterranean , the legless skink have long , cylindrical , smooth-scaled bodies and short tapering tails.
2. The eyes and ears are protected by scales and their lower eyelids have transparent windows to help them see when burrowing without the soil getting into their eyes.
3. They move quickly like a snake on the ground.
4. They mainly feed on insects but may also eat frogs and other invertebrates.
5. Females gives birth to a liter of 3-4 live young.

Mabuya

                                 MABUYA

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-      Mabuya wrightii

OCCURRENCE :-             Seychelles

HABITAT :-                    Granite islands with guano deposits

SIZE :-                           Length 31 cm

FAMILY :-                      Scincidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a stocky and glossy , skink with a long tail measuring upto 18 cm.
2. It is a fast moving , ground dwelling lizard with well-developed hind limbs having long digits.
3. It has a slightly elongate but blunt snout.
4. It is active during the day and feeds on eggs of other birds.
5. The female gives birth to live young ones which develops inside her body.

Desert Night Lizard

                    DESERT NIGHT LIZARD

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-       Xantusia vigilis

OCCURRENCE :-              S.W.USA , Mexico

HABITAT :-                     Rocky,Arid and semi-arid land 

SIZE :-                            Length 9.5 to 12.5cm

FAMILY :-                       Xantusiidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :- 

1. It is a nocturnal robust lizard with scales on the back and belly and shields on the head.
2. Its coloration varies over its range but it is marked with many small dark spots.
3. It has immobile eyelids with lower one having transparent windows.
4. It feeds on termites , ants , beetles and flies.
5. Mating takes place in May or June.
6. The female gives birth to 1-3 live young which develop inside her body , nourished by a form of placenta.

Gila Monster

                          GILA MONSTER 

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-     Helederma suspectrum

OCCURRENCE :-            Mexico,Arizona,S.Utah

HABITAT :-                   Arid and semi arid regions

SIZE :-                          Length 45 to 61 cm

FAMILY :-                     Helodermatidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a heavy-bodied , nocturnal , gaudily patterned lizard with colored bead-like scales on its back.
2. The stout tail is a reservoir of stored fat which is used up whenthere is scarcity of food.
3. It has a well developed limbs and forked tongue which can be flicked in and out of the mouth.
4. It is venomous lizard with poison glands in the lower jaw from where the poison enters the mouth via grooved teeth at the front of the lower jaw.
5. It feeds on small reptiles and eggs of birds.
6. Mating takes place in summer.
7. The female lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs.

                       VIVIPAROUS LIZARD

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-    Lacerta vivipara

OCCURRENCE :-           Arctic Scandinavia,Britain,S. to N.Spain,N.Asia

HABITAT :-                  Meadows, Marshes,Open woodland

SIZE :-                         Length 14 to 18 cm

FAMILY :-                    Lacertidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is an alert and agile , elongate , long tailed lizard with large scales on the head and belly.
2. Its coloration varies over its wide range but it is commonly grey or yellowish-brown with pale yellow spots and dark stripes on the back.
3. It is a good climber and swimmer and solitary creature except during hibernation and mating season.
4. It feeds on insects , spiders , earthworms , slugs and other small invertebrates.
5. The 5-8 young develop inside the female feeding on the yolks of their shells fully formed , as they are expelled from the body or soon afterwards.

                             GREEN LIZARD 

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-       Lacerta viridis

OCCURRENCE :-              Channel Islands,S. to N.Spain, Sicily, Greece

HABITAT :-                     Open woodland,River banks

SIZE :-                            Length 30 to 45 cm

FAMILY :-                       Lacertidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is an elongate , medium-sized lizard with large scales on head and belly and a long tail.
2. Males are bright green , finely engraved with black . Females are often chiller green or brownish.
3. The colour becomes bright in spring when it is the breeding season and fades later in the year.
4. An agile climber it feeds on insects , larvae , spiders and other small invertebrates.
5. The male compete fiercely for the females in the mating season.
6. The male grasps the female with its jaws while mating.
7. The female 4-21 eggs which she buries in a hole dug in the soil.
8. The eggs remain there for several moths while they develop and hatch.