Species group · Reptiles

Lizards

WAnimals has 15 species of lizard, spread across 9 families (Agamidae, Cordylidae, Crotaphytidae, Lacertidae, Liolaemidae, Phrynosomatidae, Shinisauridae, Teiidae, Xantusiidae).

15 species
9 families
67 countries
175 parks
Weight
1 g – 9 kg
Length
4 cm – 1.2 m
Lifespan
5 – 20 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 15.

All 15 species of lizards on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

11 Least Concern2 Near Threatened1 Endangered1 Vulnerable

2 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 67 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • It runs upright on its hind legs, like a dinosaur in miniature.

    From Collared Lizard

  • It runs on two legs: when chasing prey or fleeing it lifts its trunk and runs upright on its hind legs with its tail as a counterweight, reaching notable speeds over rock.

    From Collared Lizard

  • That gait has been studied in biomechanics as a model for the first bipedal dinosaurs, and high-speed footage of it appears in textbooks of vertebrate locomotion.

    From Collared Lizard

  • Its molar-like teeth are specialised for crushing water snails.

    From Northern Caiman Lizard

  • It eats almost nothing but snails: it has broad, flattened molars and enormous jaw muscles for crushing the shells, and then spits out the fragments and swallows only the flesh.

    From Northern Caiman Lizard

  • Its specialisation is so extreme that its skull resembles that of a durophagous mammal more than that of a lizard, and it is a classic case study in the functional anatomy of reptiles.

    From Northern Caiman Lizard

  • The males develop a deep blue throat in the breeding season, a visual signal of genetic quality to the females.

    From Western Green Lizard

  • In the breeding season the male's throat turns an intense turquoise blue, and in some populations the female's does too, a feature that has been linked to signalling physical condition.

    From Western Green Lizard

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one