Monitor lizard

“ The Eyed Lizard keeps extremely well in captivity, and in this respect is unlike the Green Lizard. A case has been recorded of its living thirteen years. This species is very intelligent. Although at first ferociously wild and biting furiously, these lizards soon become tame and take food regularly. One of my own, a half-grown male from Northern Spain, about one foot in length, made its home in a little niche of the greenhouse-wall, whence it emerged regularly to take the offered food from my hand. ”

“ The same lizard, when once driven away from its own locality, seems to lose all its presence of mind, flounders about, and is comparatively easily caught. Most lizards are extremely curious, although shy, and this state of their mind can be made use of by those who want to catch them without injury, and above all without getting the animal minus the brittle tail. This safe way of catching lizards consists in taking a thin rod with a running noose of thread at the end, in drawing the latter over the lizard's head, and then raising it. The little creature does not mind the rod in the least ”

“ The usual attitude of the Common Lizard is with the extended tail and greater part of the body resting on the ground, or other support, whilst the head and foreparts are raised on the arms, and the muzzle turned to one side in an attitude that suggests listening. It has been stated that Lizards are susceptible to musical sounds, and that they may be attracted from their hiding-places by judicious whistling. ”

“ The commonest sort hereabouts is the dingy brown viviparous lizard, which lays no eggs, but brings forth its young alive, and tends them like a mother. It is an agile, wee thing, that creeps from its hole or nest during the noontide hours, and basks lazily in the sun in search of insects. But let a fly come near it, and quick as lightning it turns its tiny head, darts upon him like fate, and crunches him up between those sharp small teeth with the ferocity of a crocodile. We have sand-lizards, too, a far timider and wilder species ”

“ The best distinction between the only two species of lizard known in this country has been pointed out by Mr. Bell. In the hind legs, under each thigh, there is a row of openings, each opening upon a single scale. In sand lizards, the opening is obviously smaller than the scale; in our common lizards, the opening is so comparatively large that the scale seems to be the mere edge of a tube around it.
These are our lizards, then, our Saurian reptiles; and they do not merit any hate. Suffer an introduction now to English Snakes.
The first snake, the Blindworm, is not a snake, nor yet a worm. ”

“ I looked narrowly at their nest hole with the thought in mind and saw that the birds had another point of vantage in the way the trunk bulged at the hole—it did not seem as if a large lizard could work itself up the smooth slippery rounding surface, however much given to eggs for breakfast. But in the West Indies lizards walk freely up and down the marble slabs, so it is dangerous to say what they cannot do. ”

“ Today the three-eyed lizard is probably the world’s most rigidly protected animal. The New Zealand government has placed all sorts of legal restrictions on hunting or capturing it, and to kill one would be a major crime. For that matter, very few persons living ever have seen a tuatera. It stays in seclusion most of the time. There is a single specimen in the zoological park at Wellington. When a party from a Byrd Antarctic expedition visited there they were told that the lizard had not been seen for several months and that it was highly improbable that it could be lured out of hiding. ”

“ Often, a lizard seems to be eating and doing well in captivity, but suddenly dies. This may be due to a lack of sunlight. In many instances the animal may not eat at all. If direct sunlight is not available, it can be substituted by the use of a vita-lite bulb. This bulb, which looks like a fluorescent bulb, can often be purchased from a large plant store or directly from the manufacturer. ”

“ Small lizards were often to be seen in the desert scuttling about the ground. They run with extraordinary speed, and are very difficult to catch. The usual way, I believe, is to throw a handkerchief on the ground and to drive the lizard towards it, when it will frequently run under the handkerchief to shelter, and can then be easily picked up. ”

“ Lizards are quite numerous and will be seen by any traveler who keeps his eye peeled along the roadside from which they suddenly dart, running swiftly to the other side of the highway. There are several species which consist of the rough, scaly rock lizard, the smooth, slender whip-tail, the brilliantly colored collared lizard, and the bar-tailed lizard. ”

“ Often lizards are seen whose tails are missing. When the tail is pulled or injured it can be shed by its owner. The shed tail may wriggle for several minutes and attract the predator’s attention while the lizard escapes. The tailless lizard soon grows another one that is usually recognizable by its subdued or otherwise different color pattern. Sometimes the broken tail does not fall off so it and the new tail form a fork. ”

“ These lizards are of much interest as indicating one of the ways in which true land reptiles have become aquatic in their habits. Tempted by the abundance of food growing in shallow water a little beyond their reach, the reptiles ventured farther and farther to obtain it. The tail gradually became a propelling organ, though the lizard still retained in large measure its land habits and land feet, because of the dangers from its water enemies. ”

“ This lizard is small and dark, subsists on insects, and is a veritable living barometer. It has a loud voice that is never heard except just previous to bad weather: this is so well authenticated that, even if the weather is fair, no sailor will venture out when warned by that lizard. ”

“ Similar to the popular opinion as to the blind-worm is that concerning the little active slender lizard common in moors, and that concerning the eft or newt, both of which are deemed extremely venomous, dangerous animals, whilst in reality both are quite harmless. We do not know how far the error as to the lizard prevails in England, but it is certainly very generally prevalent in Scotland, almost every rustic dreading what he calls an ask, that is a lizard, nearly as much as an adder. ”

“ Another very curious habit which this lizard has is that of walking upright on its hind legs, in the attitude of a dog when "begging." It will even run in this position, and most odd it then looks. It is a capital climber, and spends most of its life in the trees, to which it always tries to escape when it thinks itself in danger. ”

“ As for homes, some lizards are tree-dwellers; others live on the ground, hiding in stone or rubbish heaps; some live in the ground in burrows; others abide by rivers, and spend most of their time in the water.
The lizards are citizens of the world, and are found in nearly all lands, but are most numerous and most brilliantly colored in hot countries. Wherever they are, some have so evidently the lizard characteristics that one who has ever seen any [Pg 256] of the family would not fail to recognize their relationships at once ”

“ The nature of this lizard’s food, as well as the structure of its tail and feet, and the fact of its having been seen voluntarily swimming out at sea, absolutely prove its aquatic habits; yet there is in this respect one strange anomaly, namely, that when frightened it will not enter the water. Hence it is easy to drive these lizards down to any little point overhanging the sea, where they will sooner allow a person to catch hold of their tails than jump into the water. They do not seem to have any notion of biting; but when much frightened they squirt a drop of fluid from each nostril. ”

“ The tail-flip described is characteristically given at the instant the lizard reaches shelter such as a crevice, or hole, and just before it disappears. By the instantaneous pivoting of its body, throwing its tail in an arc, in the direction of its original course, the lizard creates the optical illusion of having moved beyond the point where it has taken to shelter. ”

“ This can be slipped over their heads, as they lie sunning themselves, as they seem to pay but little attention to the loop as it touches them. By exercising caution it is possible to approach from the rear to within eight or ten feet without exciting them. They make delightful pets, if a lizard can be considered such. ”

“ The sombre and lurid appearance of this Lizard, its stealthy motions, its nocturnal activity, and singular harsh cry, and especially a certain sinister aspect, produced by its large globular eye, unprotected by an eyelid, and divided by its linear pupil, have doubtless combined to give to it in the popular mind a character for evil, which its fellows in other regions possess, but to which it seems to have no rightful claim; for though dreaded, and vulgarly reputed poisonous, we have every reason to believe that it is a perfectly innocuous reptile. ”

“ Points to be noted in the external appearance of the Common Lizard, when we have succeeded in capturing one, are the fact that the entire body is clothed with smooth, slightly keeled, and scarcely overlapping scales, small on the upper side, excepting the head, where they are large. On the underside, too, they are larger, especially from the breast to the vent, where they become broad plates, of which there are six rows, the two central rows being much smaller than the lateral ones. ”

“ The common lizard, about six inches long, with very bright eyes, has a tail which is so brittle, that if you were to catch hold of it, it would break right off, and its late owner would dart away to its hiding-place, leaving the old tail in your hand; itself growing a new one.
The Sand-lizard, also found in England, is about twice the length of the common lizard: it lives on sandy heaths, and like the turtle, lays its eggs in the sand, to be hatched by the sun. But neither of our lizards is so pretty as the little green one so common in the warmer countries of Europe. ”

“ It is one of the most gayly colored of the small lizards. It is quite common in the dry and stony parts of the western states and in western Texas is very abundant. It is a great eater and is not afraid to fight for its dinner. One peculiarity of this lizard is its ability to run on its hind legs. It will gulp and bolt food as large as itself. ”

“ As we were pursuing our route in the afternoon we fell in with a specimen of the remarkable frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) ; this animal measures about twenty-four inches from the tip of the nose to the point of its tail, and lives principally in trees, although it can run very swiftly along the ground: when not provoked or disturbed it moves quietly about, with its frill lying back in plaits upon the body: but it is very irascible and, directly it is frightened, elevates the frill or ruff and makes for a tree ”

“ THE COMMON LIZARD.
[44]
It is an agile and very pretty little creature, darting about among the grass and heather, and twisting about with such quickness that its capture is not always easy. Sunny banks and sunny days are its delight; and any one who wishes to see this elegant little reptile need only visit such a locality, and then he will run little risk of disappointment.
There is one peculiarity about it that is rather startling. If suddenly seized, it snaps off its tail, breaking it as if it were a stick of sealing wax, or a glass rod. ”

“ Lizards look at first glance like diminutive alligators, because most of them have long-jawed heads, short legs wide apart, and long tails; but really they are near relatives of the snakes, for not only their internal structure but the coat of scales is snake-like; but an important difference is that the jaws of the lizard are firmly hinged to a solid skull, while the bones of the skull of the snake, including those of the jaws, are connected by elastic cartilages which enable them to spread apart and permit the swallowing of a mouthful astonishingly large. ”

“ The lizard is about 11⁄2 ft. long, with a fat, fleshy body, a round tail ending in a blunt point, and a flat head with squared sides, resembling a small padlock. The whole body is covered with a curious coat of scales, like black and pink beads, arranged in an arabesque pattern. In its daily life it is a dull and stupid creature, feeding mainly on eggs, which it breaks and laps with its tongue. ”

“ The same was subsequently noted as a position frequently assumed by the lizards in my Wardian cases. If, therefore, the "pineal eye" is sensitive to light, it is still of some use to the creature, as it would certainly respond to a passing shadow, and so warn the animal of the approach of a possible enemy. It certainly would be greatly to the lizard's advantage if it had a perfect eye in the top of its head, especially when it rests upon the trunks of trees, and is exposed to the attacks of predatory birds ”

“ Insects are things which often fly into manifest danger, but still, if they saw the lizard they would be less likely to come to the flower. But now this lizard’s body is exactly the colour of the sand that it lies in, so that it can hardly be seen, and this sort of general resemblance is much more common amongst birds and mammalia than the more special ones that we have been considering. I do not, indeed, know any case of one quadruped escaping destruction, by being mistaken for another, or for a rock or tree, but amongst birds there are just a few instances of this. ”