August 14 – World Lizard Day

Lizards are reptiles that are closely related to snakes. One of the biggest difference between most lizards and snakes is that most lizards have legs! Also, most lizards have external ears, while most snakes don’t.

Lizards’ external ears are sometimes referred to as earholes. For obvious reasons.

Like other reptiles living today, lizards have scaly skin and breathe air with lungs. All lizards are cold-blooded, which means that they get their body heat from the environment rather than making their own body heat like birds and mammals.

In nature, we often spot lizards warming up in the sun.

(Well, actually, there are articles about the “world’s first warm-blooded lizard,” the Argentinian black and white geku. It is normally dependent on the environment for its body heat, like other lizards, but during mating season it raises its temperature 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit!) warmer than its surroundings. Scientists aren’t sure how or why these gekus heat up like this.) 

There are lots of varieties of lizards.

Many lizards can detach their tails, leaving them behind with a predator to escape death. Some can use their coloring as camouflage, and most can see colors well and even communicate with mates and others through color.

Can you spot the lizard?

Some lizards are quite small, and some are huge—the Komodo dragon can grow nine and half feet long!

• Learn more about lizards here. 

• Draw a lizard. Here‘s how.

• Sculpt a lizard. Here‘s an example.