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Friday 5 February 2016

Lizard

There are about 6,000 lizard species found all over the world except for the continent of Antarctica where it is too cold for them to survive.


All lizards are reptiles but not all reptiles are lizards. Lizards usually have four legs, external ear openings, scaly skin and movable eyelids.

The term "dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by the English paleontologist Richard Owen, and derives from Greek δεινός (deinos) "terrible, powerful, wondrous" plus "lizard".

By the 1300s it was common for European women to condition their hair and scalp with dead lizards boiled in olive oil.

Muppets creator Jim Henson first created Kermit in 1955 - as a lizard. He was made from Henson's mother's coat and two halves of a Ping-Pong ball (no flipper feet or eleven-point collar).

World Lizard Day is celebrated annually on August 14. The day was created to raise awareness of lizards and the threats they face. Lizards are an important part of the ecosystem, and they play a vital role in controlling populations of insects and other pests. However, lizards are also facing a number of threats, including habitat loss, climate change, and the pet trade. Nobody seems to know why that particular date was chosen.

The largest lizard species, the Komodo dragon, reaches 11 feet (3.3 m) in length and weighs up to 265 lb (166 kg). It can double its body weight with a single meal!

Komodo dragons on Rinca.

The Gila monster and the beaded lizard are the only poisonous lizards. They are both found in northwestern Mexico.

Some Lizards can self-amputate their tails. They wiggle and move on the ground to distract predators.

These Lizards can regrow their tails but the new tail is never quite as good as the original.

If a tail shed by a lizard as a decoy was not eaten by the chasing predator (and the lizard gets away too) the lizard would return to eat its own tail. The shed tail is a great source of fat to regain the energy lost in its getaway.

Not all lizards have legs. The glass lizard, which is found in southeastern North America has no legs, but unlike snakes, it has moveable eyelids.

Some lizards must hold their breath as they run, since the same musculature used to work the lungs is also used for locomotion.

In Fresno, California it is against the law to annoy a lizard in a city park.

Source Daily Express

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