The Oscillated Skink (Chalcides ocellatus) is a lizard – and a reptile. It is also known as the Eyed Skink or the Gongilo.
The Oscillated Skink is elongated with a small head. Each foot has five toes. It is varied in colour, but it is usually light brown with dark-brown and white markings. It has a creamy-white underbelly. It has dark eyes and a dark-coloured tongue. It has very short legs, with five toes on each foot.
The Chameleon has very distinctive eyes.
The upper and lower eyelids are joined, with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through.
Each eye can pivot and focus independently, allowing the chameleon to observe two different objects simultaneously.
The Chameleon (family Chamaeleonidae) is a lizard – and a reptile.
The Chameleon can be a variety of colours, and many can change colour to match its environment – this is called camouflage. It is usually green, brown, olive-green, or grey-brown. It is elongated, usually with a raised or slightly-domed back, and a tail that can curl around plants. It often has a crest of spines along its back, and a fleshy lump at the back of its head. It has zygodactylous (fused) feet for climbing trees. It has a long tongue, and independently mobile eyes with stereoscopic vision.
The Northern Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianensis) is a semi-aquatic freshwater reptile. It is also known as the Guyana Caiman Lizard. It is related to the Tegu.
The Northern Caiman Lizard has a heavy bright green body with short legs. It has dark bands on its body. Its head is large and usually red or orange. Its jaws are muscular and powerful. It has a long tail. It has a clear third eyelid, which is like a pair of goggles when it swims underwater. It has five toes, and its fourth toe is longer than its other toes.
The European Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus apodus) is a reptile. It is also called the Sheltopusik and the Giant Russian Legless Lizard.
The European Glass Lizard is legless – it has no legs, but it is not a snake. Actually, there are two knobs (2mm in length that are undeveloped legs. It has eyelids (and snakes do not have eyelids). It is brown to olive-green in colour. It has a long tail that can grow back (regenerate) if it falls off.
The Changeable Lizard (Calotes versicolor) is an agamid reptile. It is in the family of Agama Lizards. It is also known as the Oriental Garden Lizard and the Eastern Garden Lizard.
The Changeable Lizard ranges in colour from light-brown to greyish. It has a short crest above the neck with small spines, which continue to the tail. There are light-grey lines radiating from its eyes. Like chameleons, the Changeable Lizard can move its eyes in different directions.
Its fourth toe on the hind (back) leg is longer than the other toes. The male has swollen cheeks and, when it is mating season, its head turns bright orange and its throat turns black.
The Yellow-Headed Water Monitor (Varanus cumingi) is a large lizard, and a reptile. It is also known as the Philippine Water Monitor, the Mindanao Water Monitor, or the Cuming’s Water Monitor.
The Yellow-Headed Water Monitor is yellow with dark-brown or black markings. Its head is often all yellow with only a few markings. Its scales are six-sided hexagons. It has a large mouth, large nostrils, and dark orange-brown eyes. Its feet have five toes with sharp claws.
The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a venomous lizard and a reptile.
The Gila Monster is a stocky, slow-moving lizard. It has dark black-brown scales wth pink, yellow, or orange markings. It has a rounded snout (nose). It has short legs and feet, with sharp claws.
The Round Island Skink (Leiolopisma telfairii) is a lizard and a reptile. It is also known as Telfair’s Skink.
The Round Island Skink is iridescent brownish-grey with dark-brown spots. Its body is long and cylindrical. It has short legs.
Its tail can drop off to escape capture, and the tail will re-grow (regenerate).
The Blue Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei) is an arboreal lizard and a reptile. It is also known as the Blue-Spotted Tree Monitor.
The Blue Tree Monitor is black with scattered blue scales. The tip of its nose is light-blue and its lower jaw is white with green scales along its neck, forming a V-shaped pattern. Its legs are spotted with turquoise eye-spots, called ocelli. Its throat is light with dark spots.
Continue reading “CREATURE FEATURE: Blue Tree Monitor Lizard”
The Fiji Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) is an endangered arboreal lizard and a reptile. Iguanas are called iguanids. It is also called the Lau Banded Iguana.
The male Fiji Banded Iguana has two or three white or pale-blue bands across their emerald green body, with spots and stripes. The female is a solid colour of lighter green, with only occasional spots. Both the male and female have a yellow underbelly. It has short crests, or spikes, along their back. It has a dewlap (fold of skin) underneath its chin. It has five long toes on each foot, with sharp claws. It has yellow nostrils.
The Gidgee Spiny-Tailed Skink (Egernia stokesii) is a lizard and a reptile. It is a squamate.
The Gidgee Spiny-Tailed Skink has a thick, flattened body with small eyes. It has 26-36 rows of scales. Its tail is spiny.
The Spiny-Headed Tree Lizard (Plica plica) is an arboreal lizard. It is also called the Collared Tree Lizard, the Collared Tree Runner, or the Harlequin Racerunner.
The Spiny-Headed Tree Lizard is usually olive-green or greenish, with dark-brown mottled markings on its body. Its chin is whitish and its throat is black. Its body is flattened and adapted to living on, and sticking to, the bark of trees. It has a collar, called a ruff, around its neck. It also has spines on its neck. It has green eyes.
The Emerald Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus) is a medium-sized tree lizard. It is a reptile.
The Emerald Tree Monitor is bright green to turquoise-green with dark bands on its back. It has a long slender body. It has long, prehensile claws and a prehensile tail used to grip or wrap around tree branches.
The Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) is a skink – a reptile. The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) is native specifically to southern and eastern Australia.
The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard has a thick body and short legs. It has a distinct head. It has a blue tongue, and flat teeth. It can be varied colours, but is usually brown and brown-grey. The photographed Blue-Tongued Lizard is albino.
Continue reading “CREATURE FEATURE: Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard”
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
The Gould’s Monitor Lizard (Varanus gouldii) is a large Australian reptile, also known as the Sand Goanna, Sand Monitor, or Racehorse Goanna.
The Gould’s Monitor Lizard varies in colour and pattern. Its back can be brown to greenish-grey or almost black, with scattered markings and spots of lighter colours, usually yellowish to cream. Its underbelly is yellow or cream with dark markings. Usually it has a black stripe on the side of its head, with cream or yellowish stripes above and below the black stripe. Its tail is light-brown or black, with a white or yellow tip. It has a forked tongue. It has long, sharp claws.
How do lizards walk upside down?
Many lizards, such as geckos and skinks, can walk upside down and climb up walls. They have special toe pads that can support their weight.
Their toe pads have microscopic hairs or bristles, called setae, that act like Velcro, enabling their feet to stick to surfaces.
On each of the setae are millions of even smaller tips, called septulae. Each one can grip the surface.
The White-Throated Savannah Monitor Lizarad (Varanus albigularis albigularis) is a medium-sized lizard from southern Africa. It is a reptile.
The White-Throated Savannah Monitor is grey or brown with a pronounced bulbous head, and large ear holes and large nostrils. It has 3-8 white cross-bars or rows of white sports on its body. The top of the head is dark, and its underbelly is paler. It has short legs with large claws on its feet. It has small eyes with round pupils. It forked tongue is long and blue.
The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) is also known as the American Iguana, or just Iguana. It is a large arboreal lizard, native to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It is a reptile.
The Green Iguana is not always green. It can be various colours, such as blue, purplish, and pinkish. It is a strong, stout-bodied lizard, with a row of spines on its back and tail to protect itself from predators. Its tail can be ‘dropped’ to allow it to escape danger. The tail can be regenerated (re-grown).