One of the 9 wall lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Lacertidae
Lilford's Wall Lizard
Podarcis lilfordi
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
Lilford's wall lizard is a species of squamate reptile of the family Lacertidae that used to live on the islands of Mallorca and Menorca and the islets around them; it has largely disappeared from the larger and middle-sized islands, but it still lives on the small islets, where there are a great many subspecies. The cause of its disappearance from the main islands appears to be the introduction of competing or predatory species by the Romans.
Weight
5 kg – 12 kg
Size
6 cm – 9 cm
Lifespan
10 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- It is a strict Spanish endemic and a relic: it disappeared from Mallorca and Menorca after people arrived with the predators they brought, and today it survives only on the surrounding islets.
- Each islet has its own subspecies: more than twenty different forms have been described, some almost black and others an intense blue, on islets separated by a few hundred metres of sea.
- It is a pollinator and seed disperser: on islets without abundant pollinating insects, the lizards visit flowers and eat fruit, an ecological role that is remarkable for a reptile.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Coastal islets and rocky ground of Mallorca and Menorca, in the Balearic archipelago
- Size at birth
- About 2.5-3 cm of body on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 60 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podarcis_lilfordi
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From March to October, by day, on the Balearic islets where it survives; on Cabrera and Sa Dragonera it is abundant and very confiding.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Lilford's Wall Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
EndangeredFin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
EndangeredBasking Shark
Cetorhinus maximus
Cyren's Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta cyreni
Moroccan Rock Lizard
Scelarcis perspicillata
Atlantic Lizard
Gallotia atlantica
Tenerife Lizard
Gallotia galloti
How to help
The lilford's wall lizard is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about lilford's wall lizard.
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