Hi
guys, I bring to you this week's amazing creature, “The Lizard”. I know
many of you are probably wondering why on earth Lizards can be tagged amazing
but I'm sure reading this post further will change your orientation. Enjoy!
Lizards are
a widespread group of Squamate reptiles, with approximately over 6,000 species
amongst which 3800 species are known to man, ranging across all continents
except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. Lizards, which are
close relatives of the snakes are one of the most feared creatures after spiders.
It’s their aura, filled with mystery, which makes we humans despise and fear
them. Just a sight of them can trigger a feeling of disgust because of
their outer appearance. It is because of these characteristics that lizards are
used to depict an alien life form or a giant lizard in movies. However,
despite of all their detestable traits, fact remains that there are sets of
people that considers lizards as the best of pets, for their low maintenance
as regards breeding and their exotic looks.
LIZARDS & REGENERATION
Lizards are
one of the few creatures with an amazingly high ability to regenerate. When we
(humans) lose a limb, we are left with a stump but lizards have the ability to
regrow lost appendages. With recent studies on Lizards, researchers are getting
a grasp on regeneration and are working on a way to apply the knowledge gotten
from the researches to help to improve the regenerative capabilities in humans.
Lizards also have the unique ability to regrow their foreskin and some other
body parts. As earlier said, there are over 3800 species of lizards known to
man and some of them include:
1. Northern Alligator Lizard: The Northern
Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is native to the western coast of
North America and is a member of the Anguidae family.
2. Mangrove Monitor: The Mangrove Monitor (Varanus
indicus) is native to Australia, New Guinea & other surrounding island and
is a member of the Varanidae family.
3. Knight Anole: The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris
) is native to Cuba but are now also found in southern Florida and is a member
of the Polychrotidae family.
4. Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko: The Satanic Leaf
Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) is native to tropical forests of Madagascar
and is a member of the Gekkonidae family.
5. Panther Chameleon: The Panther Chameleon
(Furcifer pardalis) is native to Northern and Eastern Madagascar and is a
member of the Chamaeleonidae family.
6. Veiled Chameleon: The Veiled Chameleon
(Chamaeleo calyptratus ) is native to regions of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates and is a member of the Chamaeleonidae family.
7. Flap Necked Chameleon: The Flap Necked Chameleon
(Chamaeleo dilepis ) is native to Sub-Saharan regions south of the Sahara Desert
in Africa and is a member of the Chamaeleonidae family.
8. Water Monitor: The Water Monitor ( Varanus
salvator ) is native to South and Southeast Asia and is a member of the
Varanidae family.
9. Rhinoceros Iguana: The Rhinoceros Iguana
(Cyclura cornuta ) is native to Caribbean island of Hispaniola and is a member
of the Iguanidae family.
10. Komodo Dragon: The Komodo Dragon (Varanus
komodoensis) is native to Rinca, Komodo, Flores, Padar and other Indonesian
Islands and is a member of the Varanidae family.
Other types of Lizards include
our very own which is the Agama: An agama is any one of the various small,
long-tailed, insectivorous lizards of the genus Agama. The genus Agama is
composed of at least 37 species found across Africa, where they are the most common
lizard.
Scientific name: Agama
Higher classification: Agamidae
Rank: Genus
HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIZARDS
For Lizards, habitat and distribution is very broad. Antarctica is the only part of
the world where there aren’t some species of Lizards. Although they have the
ability to slow down body functions to survive in cold climates, they need a
warm environment as they are cold blooded creatures which is why they are
frequently spotted basking in the sunlight and this is why they are often
visually seen during the daylight. Many Lizards live in trees too. They are
quick climbers with their feet adapted to make them move conveniently over many
surfaces. The branches offer them solace from various types of predators.
The sandy
areas and the dry deserts are the main places where you will find the larger
species of Lizards. They live on land and they are big enough that they can
chase off most predators.
They tend to be living in areas where it is extremely difficult for other
creatures to survive or even for humans to live comfortably. They are able to
retain water by eliminating salt so Lizards don’t necessarily have to live
close to a water body/source.
FACTS ABOUT LIZARD
* Among more than three thousand species of lizards, only two have been
found to be venomous: namely, the Gila monster (Heloderma sucpectum) and the
Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum). Though venomous, their venom cannot
kill a human, but can cause acute pain.
* The largest lizard, Komodo dragon, found in the world, is a specie native to
the Komodo Island of Indonesia. They can be as big as 11 feet and are so
powerful that they can easily bring down a predator much bigger in size. Komodo
dragons have a strong jaw line and toxic saliva which helps them in killing
their prey. They are also known to attack humans, and on occasion, kill them.
* Gecko, a species of lizard, is the only one which
has vocal chords. This means that lizards are dumb by birth. Hence, the gecko is
the only one which can communicate by making noises; other species rely on
their body language for this purpose. This style of communication becomes quite
useful when demarcating territory, threatening predators, and attracting mating
partners, etc.
* Lizards are excellent climbers. Most species are
equipped with suction cups on their feet which aid climbing on almost any
surface. This ability also comes in real handy when escaping a predator.
* A couple of species of lizards native to the
American continent, namely, the basilisk and the collared lizard have the ability
to run on their hind legs. When these creatures are young they can even run on
the surface of water; this ability is called bipedal locomotion.
* The fact that these creatures are mostly
small in size doesn't mean they live any less. In fact, there are species of lizards
which live for a long time. For example, a Mexican beaded lizard has been recorded
to live for 33 years and 11 months, and its close second, Cayman island ground
iguana has been recorded to live for 33 years and 5 months.
* There are lizards which can actually fly. Dracos,
a genus of lizard, has the ability toactually glide from one tree to another.
This gliding is made possible because of a thin membrane which joins the front
limbs with the rear ones acting as a parachute. These lizards are also known as
flying
dragons.
* Lizards have amazing eyesight and a few even have
acute colour vision, meaning they can
differentiate between colours. These animals have what is called the
vomeronasal organ, which helps them in tasting different smells in the air.
* Some lizard can surprise their enemies with
powerful defence mechanism. There are a few horned lizards which can squirt
blood from their eyes, up to a distance of four feet, to warn their enemy. Another
interesting defence mechanism which works great with predators is displayed by
the Frilled lizard, which expands the skin around their neck to ward off a
predator.
* Camouflage is yet another method to escape the
sight of its enemies as well as its prey. Chameleons are expert in camouflaging
and the other lizard which does so is the collared lizard.
* Tail autotomy is one of the prominent features of
a lizard’s anatomy. Almost all lizards can let go off their tails, to dodge a predator,
without much problem. The tails can grow back again later.
* The female slow worm lizard incubates the eggs
inside its womb and lays them out only when the eggs are fully hatched.
* Though closely related to the snake, lizards
differ from snakes. Almost all lizards have external ears and limbs too. The
legless lizard can also be categorized as a lizard only because of these
features only.
* Lizards known as green iguanas are eaten in
Central America. These are considered to be fishes of the desert. The Greeks
and Egyptians regard lizards as the representative of divine wisdom and good
fortune; that is perhaps the reason that these creatures in hieroglyphics
represent the symbol of the word plentiful.
Hope
you all enjoyed the post? If yes, don't forget to like, share and comment as it
will be highly appreciated. See you next week with another interesting episode
of "The Amazing Creatures".
Fadare Shalom.
