Do You Believe, Lizard Changed To Black?

Do You Believe, Lizard Changed To Black?

Most people would associate lizards with the wild. However, in other countries across the world, there are people that also keep them as pets. Whether reptiles have always been fascinating to you or you’re considering the idea of getting a lizard for a pet, you’d certainly want to know more about them before you take on such a huge responsibility of caring for and looking after them. Here are some fun facts that you probably didn’t know about lizards.

There are thousands of them literally.

There are currently over 6,000 species of lizards in the world. An iguana is classified as a lizard. Chameleons and geckos are classified in the same category too. While they can also be classified as reptiles, referring to them all as lizards is actually correct too. If you’re thinking that having more than 6,000 lizard species is out of this world, all you have to do is consider how many reptiles out there can also be considered as lizards and you’ll realize that the figures do make sense.

A lizard’s eyelids move.

Sure, you’d think this isn’t anything special especially since humans have eyelids and we can move them too. However, snakes, which are considered reptiles like most lizards also have eyelids and unlike lizards, they are unable to move them. With lizards, they can even move their eyelids via voluntary movements.

They’re everywhere— almost.

They’re almost everywhere in the world, with the only exception being Antarctica. Lizards usually call marshlands, forests, and deserts home. They have an interesting ability to adapt to their surroundings and they can often be found living in trees, on the ground, within bogs and holes, and around rocks.

They don’t always need to be around water.

While they do need water to survive, they don’t have to live somewhere near water just to stay alive. This is due to how they absorb the water their bodies need off the food that they eat. There are even lizards that go through their lifetime without ever drinking water at all. This is the reason that they have the uncanny ability to survive in deserts. Of course, there are many that also live near bodies of water, especially ponds since there is often an abundance of food around these areas.

They need the sun more.

As creatures that are cold-blooded, a lizard’s body temperature is easily influenced by the surrounding temperature in their environment. Without the sun, lizards will not survive for a long time. This is also the reason why lizards can’t be found anywhere in Antarctica because it is just too cold for them. This is also why they are usually found in deserts. While they need the sun, they also can’t withstand the peak of the sun’s heat. This is why even when they are used to living in the desert, lizards will still look for shades especially when the day is at its hottest.

They have a rather varied diet.

Where water may not be something that lizards require most to survive, the diet they follow is perhaps some of the most varied out there. This allows them to get all the nutrients they need through the food they eat. Among the things that lizards tend to much on include leafy plants and grass, small insects like beetles and crickets, seeds, and berries. There are even those that will eat the eggs of smaller lizards.

Some lizards are able to change their color.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about lizards is that some of them can actually change color. This is the reason that chameleons. Which is quite well—known for such ability, has always been a popular pet choice. There’s also the anole lizard which can change from brown to red to even bright green. These changes are made to adapt to its surroundings and some do so to signal their mate.

Steven Lopez