Ocellated Lizard

• The striking blue spots along its flanks form a pattern of interlocking rosettes, at their most vivid in adult males during the breeding season.
• It eats large insects, snails and spiders, and occasionally small vertebrates, eggs and fruit.
• It has been protected in Spain since 2011.
• alimentaciónIt is one of the largest lizards in Europe and will occasionally take young reptiles and even small mammals.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat & environment

Dry scrubby country of south-western Europe — open woodland, olive groves and old vineyards — from sea level to 2,100 m

Birth weight

4-5 cm long on hatching (tail not included)

Size at birth

4-5 cm long at hatching

Sexual maturity

2-3 years

Gestation / incubation

8-14 weeks

Litter / clutch size

Up to 22 eggs per clutch

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 20 years

Sources consulted: Earthpedia; Animalia.bio; Wikipedia (Ocellated lizard); Wildwood Kent; Aneca-Terra; iNaturalist; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info)

Best time: From March to October, in mid-morning, in Mediterranean scrub, on walls and along field edges; at the height of summer it reduces its activity at midday.