One of the 9 wall lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Lacertidae
Sand Lizard
Lacerta agilis
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The smallest of the European Lacerta, robust and compact in build. The back and flanks are brown or greyish brown with round dark spots flecked with white. In spring and summer the male's flanks take on an intense grass green. Pyrenean individuals have a dark brown central dorsal band edged by two paler bands.
Weight
11 g on average
Size
7.6 cm – 8.4 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- Despite its name it is a rather slow species, easily watched basking calmly in the sun.
- The Pyrenean populations are relicts of the glaciations and isolated from the rest: genetic and morphological studies treat them as a subspecies endemic to the eastern Pyrenees, Lacerta agilis garzoni.
- It is one of the Iberian reptiles with the widest world range, from Spain to Mongolia and Lake Baikal.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Alpine meadows above the mountain pine belt, or open meadows with scattered scrub at lower altitudes, on gentle east-facing slopes. It occurs between 1,400 and 2,500 m, and mostly above 1,900 m
- Size at birth
- About 5-6 cm on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- A clutch of eggs that incubate for between 6 and 8 weeks
- Litter / clutch size
- 5-14 eggs per clutch
Sources consulted: Amat 2008 y 2015, Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles (MNCN-CSIC); Atlas y Libro Rojo de los Anfibios y Reptiles de España (MITECO); Llorente et al. 1997; Arribas 1999; Generalitat de Catalunya (Parc Natural de l'Alt Pirineu)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From May to September, basking at the edges of the scattered scrub in the meadows where it lives
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 144 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Sand Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Viviparous Lizard
Zootoca vivipara
Western Green Lizard
Lacerta bilineata
Common Wall Lizard
Podarcis muralis
Green Lizard
Lacerta viridis
Spanish Wall Lizard
Podarcis hispanicus
Ocellated Lizard
Timon lepidus
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about sand lizard.
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