#ocellated lizard

Today's animal of the day is the Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus)!

Photo credit: Bernard Dupont & Jean Nicolas

Also known as the eyed lizard or jeweled lacerta, this species of lizard is native to the dry woodlands and scrublands of southwestern Europe. They are the largest species in the Lacertidae family and typically grow to around 11.79 inches to 1.97 feet long. However, some exceptionally large individuals can reach a length of around 3 feet. These colorful reptiles are usually green or greenish-blue with patches of yellow, black stripes, and bright blue spots. Both males and females are colorful, but males tend to be slightly brighter than females.

Photo credit: Luís Lourenço

These lizards are mostly found in the Iberian Peninsula, but can also be found in parts of North Africa, southern France, and northwestern Italy. They prefer dry temperate areas with a good mix of trees and rocks for them to use as shelter as well as open places for them to bask in. They are omnivores and mostly feed on insects and other invertebrates, such as spiders and snails. Though they do occasionally feed on larger prey such as smaller lizards, snakes, and even small mammals. In addition to meat, they will also forage for berries and other plants to eat. While they spend most of their time on the ground, they are fairly good climbers and will often climb up trees and rocks to find a good spot to bask. When it gets too hot, they've been known to seek shelter in underground burrows. They've been observed both digging their own burrows and taking over abandoned rabbit burrows.

Photo credit: Iván Orois

Because of their beautiful coloration, jeweled lacertas are sometimes kept as pets. They aren't super popular in the pet trade, since they need a fairly large tank and aren't particularly fond of being handled, though they can be trained to tolerate being held. I also hear that it can be somewhat hard to find captive-bred individuals for sale, since most reputable reptile breeders aren't breeding them since there's not too much of a demand for them. Though apparently they aren’t too difficult to breed in captivity and have fairly large clutch sizes. So, it’s not that they’re rare or hard to breed, they’re just kinda obscure so there’s not a high demand for them.

Photo credit: Clint’s Reptiles on YouTube

Jolene

Ocellated Lizard

Ocellated Lizard - Sardão (Timon lepidus)

Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo/Portugal (6/06/2024)