Types of Lizards
Boyd's Rainforest Dragon
Lizards are Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, and inhabit all of the continents apart from Antarctica. Lizards live in diverse environments and are the most geographically widespread of the reptiles. Lizards are the largest group of reptiles with perhaps 5000 species. Reptiles have been on earth for about 200 million years.
Physically reptiles are characterized by several features: they are vertebrates, breathe air with lungs, and have skin covered with scales or plates. All reptiles are ectothermic or cold-blooded, meaning they depend on their environment for body heat. What could be good about that? Well, this allows the reptiles to eat much less than a mammal of the same weight might. In the desert, for example, this might be useful in terms of competing for food. Also, since they don't need so much energy from food to heat themselves they can spend more time basking and taking in the sites.
Most lizards are 4-legged, but a few have only 2 legs and others are legless. In size, lizards can range from 2 inches to 10 feet in length. Only two species of Beaded Lizards are venomous, the Gila Monster and the Mexican Beaded Lizard.
Chameleon
See more about Chameleons
Collared Lizard
Some types of lizards can change colors in seconds to match their surroundings, like the Chameleon. Their colors are also affected by the sun. Often, when basking in the sun, the colors of a lizard's skin can become bright and vibrant like the Collared Lizard. A cold lizard may be dark and colorless.
Distinct colors, aside from simply being interesting, like having a blue tongue, a bright red dewlap, or yellow spots, may help lizards identify each other and even communicate. Lizards have very keen eyesite and they also use body language posturing and gestures such as head-bobbing to communicate with each other.
You may also notice that the Collared Lizard above is shedding a layer of old skin. The scaly skin of a lizard is made of keatin, the same substance that forms human fingernails. Collared lizards are known to be aggresive and they eat other species of lizards.
Common Iguana
Unfortunately for lizards, life on the earth populated with humans is not all about good times. Many Central Americans love the taste of the common iguana so much that they call it "gallina del palo," or "chicken of the tree." In Central America, the black iguanas are called garrobos, and the green iguanas are called iguanas, so you might find "sopa de garrobo" or "iguana soup" on some menus. Charbroiled tail of iguana can also be found. The common method of hunting is with a slingshot. Freshly killed prey is often held up for display alongside the highway by the hunters, in order to entice buyers. Another lizard, the Uromastyx or Spiny-tailed lizard, is commonly eaten in many countries from Northern Africa through the Middle East and in India.
Common Iguanas are not bad swimmers. When attacked, an iguana may jump from a tree or rock into the water to swim away.
Marine iguanas live only on the Galapagos Islands and it is thought that they arrived to the islands by floating from mainland South America on debris. They can dive as deep as 50 feet (15m) underwater to feed on algae. They can stay under water for up to 20 minutes. In order to stay down for very long in colder temperature water they have to first heat up their bodies in the sun, slow down their hearts in the water, then re-heat in the sun again once they get out.
Basilisk - Source: Tad Arensmeier
Basilisks have amazing running skills. When threatened, these lizards take off on their hind legs, eventually building up enough enough speed to run on water. This has caused them to be referred to as the "Jesus Christ Lizard".
See more about the Jesus Lizard
Tuatara - Source: Tad Arensmeier
The tuatara has virtually remained the same for over 140 million years. The tuatara is a reptile, but not in the lizard family, it is part of the family Rhynchocephalia (which translates to Beakheads) which appeared over 220 million years ago. All the Beakheads, besides the tuatara - 2 species, became extinct about 60 million years ago. They are very rare, nocturnal animals.
Chuckwalla - Source: Tad Arensmeier
Chuckwallas are rock dwellers in the Southwest USA and Mexico. When threatened, they crawl into crevices and puff-up their bodies so that they are tightly wedged in and nothing can yank them out.
Lizards have crude third eyes on top of their heads that senses whether it's day or night.
The "Horned Devil" shoots blood from its eyes to scare away predators.
See more about this Thorny Devil
Flying Dragon Lizard
A Flying Dragon Lizard avoids danger by opening two large, winglike flaps of skin and gliding from tree to tree. The lizard steers and brakes with its tail. The large flaps are supported by elongated ribs which they can expand and retract. The wings are brightly colored and for this reason they are also called the "butterfly lizard".
Bearded Dragon Lizard
The Bearded Dragon is one of the most common lizard pets, along with iguanas. They are generally docile.
Gecko
The Gecko lizard is the only reptile with a true voice. Many species are well known for their specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease. There are an estimated 2,000 different species of geckos worldwide, with many in existence still yet to be found. Just recently a 100-million-year old gecko species was discovered in the Eastern Himalayas.
One gecko with distinct coloring and bark! - Tokay Gecko
Frilled Lizard
This defensive posture of the Frilled Lizard is intended to increase its apparent size and intimidate adversaries. They open their frills around their necks and hiss when threatened.
Old-Man Lizard aka Casque-Head Lizard aka Hernandez's Helmeted Basilisk (Corytophanes Hernadezi) - Belize - Source: Kristiina Hurme
Old-Man Lizard aka Casque-Head Lizard aka Hernandez's Helmeted Basilisk (Corytophanes Hernadezi) - Belize - Source: Kristiina Hurme
Yellow-spotted Night Lizard (Lepidopyma Flavimaculatum) - Belize - Source: Kristiina Hurme
Blue Tongued Skink
Asian Agamid
Agamids are lizards of the Old World. There are more than 300 different species in Africa, Asia and Australia. Their counterpart in the Americas would be the Iguanidae. Some agamids enjoy the water and others prefer the trees.
Wikipedia excerpt for "Lizard":
Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains. The group, traditionally recognized as the suborder Lacertilia, is defined as all extant members of the Lepidosauria (reptiles with overlapping scales) which are neither sphenodonts (i.e., Tuatara) nor snakes. While the snakes are recognized as falling phylogenetically within the anguimorph types of lizards from which they evolved, the sphenodonts are the sister group to the squamates, the larger monophyletic group which includes both the lizards and the snakes...
The adult length of species within the suborder ranges from a few centimeters for some chameleons and geckos to nearly three meters (9 feet, 6 inches) in the case of the largest living varanid lizard, the Komodo Dragon...
See full Wikipedia Lizard article
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