Different Types of Lizards

Lizards are one of biggest groups of reptiles found on Earth. Lizards are egg laying animals with scaled skin. Many of them live on trees, while some live in water. They are found in almost every part of Earth. Each of them has different characteristics related to body structure, habitat and many more factors. They have the ability to shed their tails to run away from their predators. This action is called as autonomy. The length of the lizards may range from few centimeters to many feet. In order to understand the different types of lizards, we must know about its classification. The classification of lizards is as given:

• Kingdom - Animalia
• Phylum - Chordata
• Superclass - Tetrapoda
• Class - Reptilia
• Order - Squamata
• Sub-Order - Lacertilia

The sub-order is further divided into 20 families. Each of these families contains different types of lizards of various genus and these genus contain different species of lizards. Let us take a look at these different families of lizards.

Common Families or Groups of Lizards

Geckos: Geckos are tiny lizards that come under the family Gekkonidae. They are further subdivided into three sub-families: Eublepharinae, Gekkoninae and Sphaerodactylinea. There are about 2000 gecko species found all over the world. Geckos have this unique characteristic of producing different sounds that can range from a high pitch sound to a low pitch sound. These sounds are used for communication with other geckos. Geckos live in warm regions of the world and many of them do not have eyelids. Their toes are adapted to climb any type of surface. Some of the common species of geckos that are found are as follows.

• Leopard Gecko
• House Gecko
• Tokay Gecko
• Golden Gecko
• Mourning Gecko

Iguanas: The family of different types of lizards that fall under this category is Iguanidae. This is considered as one of the biggest family of lizards that contains about 700 species of lizards. Most of the iguanas are found in America and they are one of the popular types of lizards used as pets. Different species that come under the family of Iguanidae are anoles, iguana, swifts and curlytails. Iguanas can live on trees as well as in water. The physical characteristics of iguanas are well-developed limbs, some species have dewlaps, long tails, etc. Common species of iguanas are as given below.

• Green Iguana
• Red-sided Curlytail
• Mexican Emerald Swift
• Collared Lizard
• Green Anole

Chameleons: These types of lizards have a distinctive characterisitc of changing skin color and come under the family of Chamaeleonidae. They are mainly found in Asia, Europe and in Africa. The change in skin color is due to various factors that include temperature, self defense and environmental conditions, and is possibly due to the presence of special type of cells in their body. Chameleons live on trees and eat insects. Their head is large, their body is compressed and they have an adhesive type of tongue to which an insect gets glued. Most common species of chameleons are as stated below.

• Jackson's Chameleon
• Madagascan Chameleon
• Common Chameleon
• Veiled Chameleon
• Four Horned Chameleon

Skinks: These types of lizards are spread widely all over the worlds and fall under the family Scincidae. Skinks can be found in both American continents, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. Most of them live on land and are insectivorous, few of them are omnivorous. Their body is circular in shape with a small neck and legs. Some species do not have legs at all. Skinks are considered to be good burrowers. Some of the common skink species are listed below.

• Desert Skink
• Striped Skink
• Green Tree Skink
• Blue-tongued Skink
• Apocathary Skink

Above listed are some of the important families of lizards that are commonly found. Other types of lizards and their family names are as follows:

• Basilisk (Family - Corytophanidae)
• Agamid (Family - Agamidae)
• Tegus and Greaved Lizard (Family - Teiidae)
• Monitor Lizard (Family - Varanidae)
• Typical Lizard (Family - Lacertidae)
• Girdled and Plated Lizard (Family - Cordylidae)
• Alligator Lizard (Family - Anguidae)
• Flap-footed Lizard (Family - Pygopodidae)
• Night Lizard (Family - Xantusiidae)
• Crocodile Lizard (Family - Xenosauridae)
• Beaded Lizard (Family - Helodermatidae)
• Burrowing Slow Worm (Family - Anniellidae)
• Limbless Skink (Family - Feylinidae)
• Old World Burrowing Lizard (Family - Dibamidae)
• Mexican Burrowing Lizard (Famliy - Anelytropsidae)

Geckos, green iguanas, chameleons are different types of pet lizards that generally people love to keep with them. Owning a lizard as a pet needs all the information about their habitat and nutrition. Since lizards are captive pets, they need extra care and attention to keep them healthy. Some types of lizards may require more care, while some may not. Each type of lizard has different needs. There is wide variety of different types of lizards and you may need to research a bit before choosing one as a pet.