Lizards: Order Squamata, Suborder Lacertilia

Order Squamata, which includes lizards and snakes, is the largest and most diverse order of reptiles, with some 7,000 species. The bodies of these animals are covered with scales, and they all occasionally shed their skin.

Suborder Lacertilia is made up of the lizards, with close to 5,000 species. This large group is found on all continents except Antarctica. Lizards range in size from tiny chameleons only an inch or two long to the nine-foot-long Komodo dragon. Most have four limbs, external ears, eardrums, moveable eyelids, and a fleshy tongue. These characteristics separate them from the snakes, which belong to the same order but a different suborder (Serpentes).

Lizards generally have long bodies and tails. Many have fracture zones of cartilage or connective tissue within the tail. If a predator traps the lizard by the tail, the tail pulls away and the lizard escapes. The tail then regenerates, though it is usually shorter, colored differently, and made of cartilage rather than bone. Lizards see well, have color vision, and often have bright body colors. They communicate with body posture and movements, body color, and chemical signals.

 

Note: Measurements for lizards are for total length (TL) from tip of nose to tip of tail.