In the science of reptiles, there is the concept of a "family of real lizards." This term does not mean that such animals are the most typical representatives of their species. It was just this family that scientists found and studied in the first place. The green lizard, as scientists call this genus of animals, is a representative of the "real" family. This article will provide answers to questions about the habits and habitat of such reptiles.
What do they look like?
The green lizard is a relatively large reptile, whose body length reaches fifteen centimeters. The tail of a reptile is usually about twice as long as the body. It is quite brittle, the animal easily throws it off at the moment of danger. There are several shields on the head of the green lizard. One of them - intermaxillary - reaches the nostril or is separated from it by a bridge. Usually these animals have only one zygomatic shield, and the posterior nasals have two.or three. There are also upper lip shields. They are located in front of the anterior orbital in the amount of four, less often - three or five. There are usually up to fourteen granules between the upper ciliary and supraorbital scutes. It also happens that there are no grains at all. The head of the reptile is also equipped with temporal shields, the upper ones are usually found in the amount of two, and the middle ones sometimes have more pronounced dimensions than the rest. The green lizard also has a tympanic shield, which is sometimes almost invisible. On the neck of the reptile there is a throat fold, and there is also a luxurious scaly effectively serrated collar.
Almost the entire body of the green lizard is covered with scales. The middle line of the throat of the reptile is decorated with scales, the number of which varies between 16-27. On the back, the scales of the animal have an elongated hexagonal shape and well-developed ribs. The middle of the body of the reptile is framed by 40-58 scales. The anal shield is partly surrounded by six to ten perianal shields, the middle pair of which is usually wider than the others.
What color are they painted?
It would seem that the answer to this question is hidden in the very name of the animals. However, everything is not so simple. Adults are not uniform at all and are often colored in shades of black, yellow and even (in some places) blue.
Young lizards are usually monochromatic, brownish-brown or brownish-gray with rare black speckles, turning into small white spots on the sides. With age, the back of the animal turns green, and on the sideslizards appear longitudinal white stripes. Adults are dark or bright green in color, dotted with many yellow or black spots on top. Because of them, the lizard sometimes looks almost black with yellow and green patches. There are reptiles with dark spots of irregular shape in a light border, located along the ridge. The green lizard has a brownish or emerald head with white or yellow patches and dashes. During the breeding season, the throat of males becomes bright blue, while that of females becomes bluish or greenish with marble stains. The belly of the first is bright yellow, the second is white.
Where do they live?
The green lizard is found in Southern and Central Europe. She also lives in Asia Minor, its northwestern part. A similar reptile is found in almost the entire territory of Moldova and in the southwestern part of the Right-Bank Ukraine. The area of distribution of the animal in the Dnieper valley reaches Kyiv, in the middle reaches of the river it spreads to the left bank, where it reaches Poltava along the Vorskla River.
The green lizard loves sunny and dry places, often inhabiting rocky areas in river floodplains, on hilly slopes with sparse forests and shrubs, in gardens, vineyards, borders, forest glades. On average, you can find one animal per 250-1000 meters of the route. The reptile finds refuge in heaps of stones, heaps of brushwood, crevices in rocks, spaces under tree trunks lying on the ground, long specially dug holes.
When are you most active?
The green lizard, photos of which are presented in this article, has different periods of activity in different habitats. In the southern part of Ukraine, the reptile leads a lively lifestyle from March to October, in the middle lane - from May to September. In the hottest period, the animal sometimes falls into hibernation. The warm season is marked by a two-peak peak of activity in the green lizard. In the morning hours, she vigorously hunts. At noon - from 12.00 to 16.00 - most reptiles disappear into secluded shelters and cool, shady places. Then the lizards come out of their hiding places again. During hunting or sudden danger, animals usually climb trees and shrubs, where they easily move from one branch to another, and also jump down from a fairly large height. If the lizard has found a reliable shelter, then it is not easy to lure it out of there. Even hitting the ground hard with a stick will not have the desired effect.
What do they eat?
Green lizards are predators. The diet is dominated by spiders, hymenoptera, caterpillars, bugs, orthoptera and beetles. Moreover, gastronomic preferences depend on the season. Waking up from hibernation and for some time after it (in spring and in the first days of summer), reptiles actively eat spiders and beetles. In autumn and in the second half of summer, lizards feed on caterpillars and orthoptera with pleasure. They sometimes supplement their diet with earthworms, mollusks, phalanges, centipedes, dragonflies, diptera and other insects. Sometimes these animalsthey feed on plant foods, it happens that they eat smaller lizards.
How do they reproduce?
The big green lizard breeds during the mating season, which lasts from May to June. At this time there are fierce battles between males. Pregnancy of fertilized females lasts six to eight weeks. After that, in the second half of June and until the end of July, the lizards lay eggs (5-13 pieces), burying them in the soil to a depth of seven to eight centimeters. Young individuals hatch from eggs in late summer and early autumn. As a rule, they lead an independent lifestyle. Lizards reach sexual maturity two years after birth.
