from head to taIl youR lIzard Lizards are cold-blooded reptiles This means that instead of using food as fuel to keep warm as mammals do they rely on the heat of sunlight to raise their body temperature Cold-blooded creatures are active when it’s warm and move slowly when it’s cold Tongue Lizards smell with their tongue flicking it out to catch scent particles An organ on the roof of their mouth detects the chemicals in the scent particles Ears Lizards don’t have external ears they just have a round opening They listen out for predators and run for cover at the slightest sound Teeth Most lizards teeth continue to grow all their lives If they lose teeth they just grow new ones 4 Tail Many lizards have a weak point in their tail so if it gets caught by a predator the lizard can run off leaving its tail behind
Geckos are small lizards with a few unusual features Unlike other lizards that are active during the day most geckos are nocturnal Voice Geckos are the only lizards that communicate using sound They chirp and click to one another and call out if they are scared LIzard facts Lizards see ultraviolet UV light so they view the world differently and see colors and patterns that are invisible to us This helps them to recognize other lizards and their prey Cold-blooded reptiles eat less than warm-blooded mammals because they don’t burn energy to stay warm Therefore they can live in places where food is hard to find such as deserts and survive for long periods without eating Feet Many geckos have toe pads covered with tiny hairs that create a force similar to static electricity This causes their feet to stick to surfaces and allows them to climb just like Spider-Man Eyes Most geckos don’t have eyelids They clean their eyes by licking them with their tongue 5
BEST LIZARDS FOR BEGINNERS Lizards are found on all continents except Antarctica so each species has different needs when it comes to temperature humidity and food Make sure you know exactly how to care for your pet before you bring it home Leopard geckos come in many colors Unlike most geckos they don’t have sticky toe pads so they move slowly and are easy to handle They live on the ground and eat live crickets locusts waxworms and silkworms Crested geckos live in trees so they need a tall enclosure with branches and leaves to feel at home They can be fed a meal replacement powder which is good for owners who don’t want to deal with live bugs Bearded dragons are friendly and easy to tame They need a large tank heated to a high temperature They eat insects worms baby mice vegetables and fruit African fat-tailed geckos come from West Africa and make gentle pets that are easy to handle They eat live crickets locusts mealworms and waxworms and they also enjoy tinned dog food or defrosted baby mice 6
Blue-tongued skinks are large lizards that need plenty of space These good-natured pets eat vegetables fruit flowers cooked meat and insects They come from Australia and Indonesia and use their blue tongue to scare predators Uromastyx are plant-eating lizards from the Middle East and Africa They need very hot enclosures with somewhere nice to burrow and they can be tricky to handle Choose a smaller species some get very large and their tails can be dangerous Green anoles are active little lizards from the southeastern United States They change color from brown to green They eat insects and don’t like to be handled Iguanas large monitors and chameleons Iguanas and full-sized monitor lizards are intelligent and unusual pets but they quickly grow very big They can become aggressive as they get older and their sharp claws strong tail and powerful bite can cause serious injuries Chameleons are fascinating but they’re not ideal pets They don’t like to be handled and need a large enclosure with perfect conditions or they can become stressed and die 7
