A natural classification system was devised by Carl Linnaeus
in the late eighteenth century.
The classification system is a way of arranging plants and animals
into groups based on differences and similarities between them. The
classification starts with Kingdom. Lizards fall into the kingodm Animalia. Next is the the phylum, with lizards being in the phylum Chordata. The phylum is broken into classes.
Lizards belong in a large class of animals called Reptilia.
The class is then broken into several orders and the lizards belong to the
order called Squamata. Snakes and amphibians also belong to
this order. The majority of lizards then fall into the suborder called Lacertilia.
The suborders are broken into families. Each family (some
broken even further into subfamilies) contains several genera or genus.
Finally, each genus contains one or more species.
And finally all the way down to the individual species,... which is
your lizard!
This group
of lizards consists of:
3 subfamilies, 80 genera and about 600 species.
Geckos are found worldwide in all the warmer regions.
What distinguishes them as a family is that they have the ability
to produce sounds. Some make high pitched calls, some sound like
ducks, and others like barking dogs.
Most geckos have fused eyelids (like snakes) and
they lick them with their protrusible notched tongue to clean
them. 75% of them are nocturnal so their pupils are narrow and
vertical to block out light. The rest have round pupils.
They all have flattened bodies, short necks and
wide flat heads. The digits of their feet (kind of like toes)
are adhesive because they have rows of tiny hooked bristles which
allow them to climb straight up walls and across ceilings.
Geckos are generally hardy and fairly easy to maintain
in captivity. Many will also breed easily in captivity.
The Iguana family is
the largest of the lizard families,
consisting of 60 genera with over 700 species.
The Iguanids contain the curlytails, swifts, anoles,
and iguanas as well as many others. They are considered a "New
World" family because they are found mostly on the Americas.
Specifically they are found from southern Canada in North America
to the tip of South America and on the islands of Fiji and Madagascar.
Iguanas range in type from the tree dwelling arboreal
type to the terrestrial and the semi-aquatic type. They have
well developed limbs and short tongues that are barely protrusible.
Most have long tails, crests, and dewlaps. Males are bright and
varied in coloring. Most lay eggs in the ground but there are
a few who are live bearers.
The desert and forest dwellers are mainly herbivores
while the smaller iguanidae are insectivores or omnivores.
Name: Genus/Species
Anoles: Brown Anole-
Anolis sagrei Cuban or Knight Anole -
Anolis equestris Giant Anole-
Anolis recordii Largeheaded Anole-
Anolis cybotes Green Anole(American Chameleon) - Anolis carolinensis
Basilisks, until recently
were included in the family Iguanidae.
Now they are in their own family consisting of one genera and 4 species.
These lizards are also considered a "New
World"
family because they are found on the continent of North America
in Central America, starting in Cost Rico and Panama and Costa,
southward into Columbia on the continent of South America.
The basilisks are slender lizards with well developed
limbs that are fairly long. They have a helmet-like head crest
and a sail-like erectable crest that runs down their back.
They are arboreal and semi-aquatic.
Being omnivorous they require both vegetable matter
and proteins. Many will breed in captivity, laying eggs in ground
burrows.
Name: Genus/Species
Helmeted
Basilisk - Basiliscus basiliscus Green Basilisk, Double-Crested Basilisk,
or Plumed Basilisk
- Basiliscus plumifrons
Red-headed
Basilisk - Basiliscus galeritus Brown or Striped Basilisk - Basiliscus vittatus
Agamids consist of 35 genera and
over 3900 species.
These lizards are considered the "Old World"
equivalent of the iguanidae because they are found on the "old
world" continents of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Another
similarity to the iguanidae is that they come in the terrestrial,
arboreal, and semi-aquatic types.
Agamids have well developed limbs, long tails, and
often bizarre forms with crest, dewlaps and expandable appendages.
The males are often brightly colored.
Many will breed easily in captivity, laying soft-shelled
eggs in ground burrows.
Name: Genus/Species
Dragons: Bearded Dragon, Inland-
Pogona vetticeps Bearded Dragon-
Pogona barbata Dwarf Bearded Dragon-
Pogona minor Lawson's or Rankin's Bearded Dragon - Pogona henrylawsoni North-west Bearded Dragon - Pogona mitchelli Nullarbor Bearded Dragon - Pogona nullarbor Water Dragon-
Physignathus cocincinus Western Bearded Dragon -
Pogona minima
Other Agamids: Garden Tree Lizard or Indian Bloodsucker-
Calotes versicolor Green Tree Lizard -
Acanthosaura capra Bornean Bloodsucker-
Calotes cristellatus Mountain-horned Lizard - Acanthosaura armato Philippine Sailfin-
Hydrosaurus pustulatus
Agamas: Bell's Agama-
Leiolepis belliana Blue-throated Agama-
Agama atricollis Desert Agama-
Agama mutabilis Egyptian Thorny-tailed Agama - Uromastyx aegyptius Indian Thorny-tailed Agama - Uromastyx hardwickii Pyramid, Hardun, or Common Agama - Agama stellio Rainbow Lizard-
Agama agama Sawback Agama-
Calotes calotes South African Agama -
Agama aculeata Spiny-tailed Agama or Black
Thorny-tailed Agama - Uromastyx acanthinurus Toad Head Agama-
Agama savgney
Soa Soa or Lassara Sailfin - Hydrosaurus amboinensis
SKINKS -
Family: Scincidae
The skink family consists
of:
50 genera and over 600 species.
Skinks are very wide spread and found on six continents;
Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.
They are terrestrial and often burrowers. Their diet consisting
mostly of insects though some are omnivorous.
Skinks have elongated and rather circular bodies.
They have little necks with small pointed heads. Their legs are
short, even absent on some species, and their tails vary from
short to long and are generally colorful.
Many skinks will breed fairly easily in captivity.
Some are livebearers and some are egglayers.
Name: Genus/Species
African
Five-lined Skink or Rainbow Rock Skink-
Mabuya quinquelaeniata Apocathary Skink-
Scincus scinscus Berber or Desert Skink - Eumeces algeriensis Blue-tongued Skink -
Tiliqua scincoides Cunningham's Skink -
Egernia cunninghami Eyed Skink or Ocellated skink - Chalcides ocellatus
Five-lined
Skink- Eumeces faciatus Great Plains Skink-
Eumeces obsoletus Green Tree Skink-
Dosia smaragdinum Pinecone Skink or Shingleback Skink - Trachydosaurus rugosus Snake-eyed Skink-
Ablepharus kitaibeli Solomans Giant Skink-
Corucia zebrata Striped Skink-
Mabuya striata
The chameleon lizards
consists of:
2 genera and about 50 species.
Chameleons are found in Europe, in Asia through
much of India, and in all of Africa, especially Madagascar. They
are all arboreal, living in trees, and are insectivores. Some
are egglayers and others are livebearers.
One of the chameleons most distinguishing features
is their remarkable to color changing ability. They change color
depending on mood, lighting, temperature and other environmental
influences.
They have highly ridged, laterally compressed bodies,
large heads, and sticky long tongues which they can accurately
project at insect prey. The opposing digits of their feet are
fused in groups of two or three which they use, along with their
prehensile tail to move from branch to branch. They move slowly
and methodically.
The chameleons eyes are cone shapes protruding from
their head, with a small opening at the end for the pupil. The
eyes move independently from each other and rotate in all directions.
Name: Genus/Species
Common
Chameleon - Chamaeleo chameleon Flap-neck Chameleon -
Chamaeleo dilepsis Four Horned Chameleon - Chamaeleo quadricornus Jackson's Chameleon or Three-horned
Chameleon - Chamaeleo jacksoni
This group of lizards consists of:
about 40 genera with about 200 species.
The Teiidae family can be found in North America
and South America, specifically in the United States, central
America, south and central Argentina, and Chile
. Their terrain varies from tree dwelling to desert dwelling,
with some types being limbless burrowers. For the most part,
they have well developed limbs, long tails, large platelike heads,
and an extensible forked tongue.
In their diet, the Tegus and Greaved Lizards vary
from being carnivorous to partly or mostly herbivorous. Because
of their nervous nature, they don't always do real well in captivity,
and are sparse breeders.
Name: Genus/Species
Ameiva -
Ameiva ameiva Black and WhiteTegu-
Tupinambis teguixin Golden Tegu -
Tupinambis nigropunctatus
The monitor family consists of:
one genera and about 30 species.
These lizards are found in Australia and the neighboring
islands of Asia. Most of these are fairly large ground dwelling
lizards and all are carnivorous.
Monitors have well developed limbs and a long whiplike
tail. They have an elongated body topped of with a long head
and pointed snout. The monitors jaws are very, very powerful.
Many species do well in captivity, but successful
breeding is pretty rare.
Name: Genus/Species
Australian
Monitor - Varanus giganteus Australian Ridge-tailed Monitor - Varanus acanthurus Black Rough-necked Monitor - Varanus rudicollis Black Tree Monitor-
Varanus beccarii Bogert's Monitor -
Varanus bogerti Blue-tailed Monitor-
Varanus doreanus Crocodile or Papuan Monitor - Varanus salvadorii Dumeril's Monitor -
Varanus dumerilii Gould's Monitor -
Varanus gouldi Green Tree or Emerald Monitor - Varanus prasinus Irian Jayan Peach-throated Monitor - Varanus jobiensis
This group of lizards
consists of:
20 genera and about 70 species.
Lacertidae are "Old World" typical lizards
from the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia.
These lizards are distinguished by a collar of large
scales on the underside of their necks. Most of their other physical
characteristics can be described by "long" and "thin".
They have slender elongated bodies with a well defined head above
a narrow neck, a long extendable tongue that is deeply forked,
a long slender tail that can be shed, and thin toes.
Typical lizards are hardy and easily kept in captivity
though they move very quickly. The structure of their tail supports
fast zigzag movements and very accurate jumps that are needed
to catch their insect prey. They are all insectivores.
Many will breed easily in captivity. Most are egglayers
though some give live birth.
Name: Genus/Species
Algerian
Sand Lizard - Psammodrumus algirus Dwarf Keeled Lizard -
Algyroides fitzingeri Emerald Lizard or Green Lizard - Lacerta viridis Eyed Lizard-
Lacerta lepida Greek Wall Lizard -
Lacerta graeca Ruins Lizard-
Lacerta [Podarcis] sicula Sand Lizard or Mongolian Lacerata - Lacerta agilis Spiny-footed Lizard
- Acanthodactylus erythrurus
This group of lizards
consists of:
2 subfamilies, 10 genera and about 40 species.
The Cordylidae lizards are found in Africa southeast
of the Sahara and in Madagascar.
The Girdled Lizards are in
the subfamily Cordylinae. These lizards have enlarged scales
around the body like girdles, and they are typically spiny. The
other subfamily, the Plated Lizards Gerrhosaurinae,
have a body armor produced by bony plates beneath their scales.
Most of the species have well developed limbs. They are all carnivorous
and feed on small mammals.
Many do well in captivity and can be bred. The Girdled
Lizards (Cordylidae) give live birth and the Plated Lizards (Gerrhosaurinae)
lay eggs.
This family consists
of:
several subfamilies, about 8 genera and about 60 species.
They Alligator Lizards are found in Europe, Asia,
the northwestern part Africa, North America and South America.
All of the Anguidae family have elongated bodies
and long tails that they can shed. Their limbs are very slight
or often gone, giving them a snake like appearance. However,
their moveable eyelids betray them as lizards. A snakes eyelids
are fused.
They have either a notched or forked tongue and
are either insectivores or carnivores.
Name: Genus/Species
Subfamily
- Anguinea: Slowworm or Blindworm - Anguis fragilis Glass Snake or Scheltopusik - Ophisaurus apodus
This group of lizards
consists of:
7 genera and 18 species.
These lizards are from Australia and New Guinea.
They have serpentine-like bodies with no front legs
and the back legs are nothing more that flaps. They have fused
eyelids and an extensible notched tongue.
Their diet consists of small lizards and invertebrates.
Name: Genus/Species
Burton's
Snake Lizard- Lialis burtonis
Common Scaly-foot -
Pygopus lipidopodus
NIGHT LIZARD -
Family: Xantusidae
This family consists
of:
3 genera and 6 species.
The Night Lizards are found in semi-desert environments
in North America, specifically lower California, central America
and in the West Indies.
They have fused eyelids and short tongues that do
not protrude. They are nocturnal and carnivorous.
Name: Genus/Species
Granite
Night Lizard - Xantusia henshawi
Yuccan Night
Lizard - Xantusia vigilis
CROCODILE LIZARD
or STRANGE LIZARD - Family: Xenosauridae
This family consists
of:
2 genera and 4 species.
The crocodile lizard is found in Asia, specifically
China, and the strange lizard is found in North America, specifically
central and southern Mexico.
They both have well developed limbs. The crocodile
lizard is semi-aquatic and eats fish and aquatic invertebrates,
while the strange lizard is primarily insectivorous.
Neither is known to be kept in captivity.
Name: Genus/Species
Crocodile
Lizard- Shinisaurus crocodilurus
Strange Lizard -
Xenosaurus (3 species)
EARLESS MONITOR -
Family: Lanthonotidae
This family consists of:
a single species.
It is found only in north-west Borneo. The earless
monitor has an elongated body, short blunt tail, a broad flat
head on a thick neck and no external ear openings.
It is found around waterways and has been known
to eat raw strips of fish in captivity.
Name: Genus/Species
Bornean Earless Monitor-
Lanthanotus borneensis
GILA MONSTER and BEADED
LIZARD - Family: Helodermatidae
This group consists
of:
1 genus and only 2 species.
They are found in North America, specifically
in south-western United States and Mexico. They have a stout
body with a broad head, well developed limbs, a short fat tail,
and they are carnivorous.
These are
VENOMOUS LIZARDS!
These lizards may only be kept with a license.
Name: Genus/Species
Gila
Monster- Heloderma suspectum
Beaded Lizard-
Heloderma horridum
OLD WORLD BURROWING
LIZARD - Family: Dibamidae
This group of lizards consists
of:
1 genus and 3 species.
They are found in southeast Asia and New Guinea.
They are wormlike with no limbs, though there are stumps on the
males. There Eye and ear openings are covered with skin and they
burrow.
These lizards are rarely kept in captivity.
MEXICAN BURROWING
LIZARD - Family: Anelytropsidae
This lizards is a:
single genus and a single species.
It is found in North America, specifically central
Mexico. It has a wormlike body and skin covered eyes and ears.
It is not known to have been kept in captivity.
LIMBLESS SKINK -
Family: Feylinidae
This is a little know family that
consists of:
a single genus with only 4 species.
They are found in central Africa. They are wormlike
and limbless, living in loose soil and leaf matter, possibly
eating termites.
Not known to be held in captivity.
BURROWING SLOW
WORMS - Family: Anniellidae
This is a small group that consists
of:
a single genus and 2 species.
They are found in North America, specifically
in central and coastal California in the United States. They
have small limbless bodies, small eyes, no obvious ears and a
forked tongue. They eat invertebrates.
They are not known to be held in captivity.
