#wall lizards

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Living Vicariously Through the Viviparous Lizard

The viviparous lizard, also known as the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), is a species of lizard native to northern Eurasia, from the Alps and the Carpathians in Europe and the Gobi Desert in Asia up to the Arctic Circle. In fact, they are the northernmost species of lizard in the world. They are found in a variety of open habitats including grasslands, peat bogs, dunes, and sparse forests, as well as rural human developments and gardens.

Viviparous lizards are named for their unique reproductive method. Populations in the southern extent of their range are oviparous, producing eggs, but populations farther north are viviparous, giving birth to live young. In both cases, clutch size can vary between 4 to 11 offspring.

Mating begins in April and continues throughout the spring. Males and females shed their skin before beginning courtship, and males then select their partner based on her color; the more dull, the better. Both sexes will have multiple mates throughout the season. After mating, females lay their eggs in a nest built in vegetation close to water. Eggs and pregnant females share an incubation period of three months, and after emerging the young are fully independent. Juveniles take about 2 years to reach full maturity, and individuals may live up to 6 years in the wild.

In colder regions, common lizards hibernate under leaf litter from October to March. When they emerge, they are active mainly during the day. Some adults may share a territory, but they are not actively social. Z. vivipara prey on a range of insects including flies, spiders, cicadas, and larvae. Due to their small size, common lizards are a prime target for birds of prey, crows, snakes, shrikes, hedgehogs, shrews, foxes, and domestic cats.

Viviparous lizards range from 10-15 cm (3.9-5.9 in) in length and 2 to 5 g (0.07-0.17 oz) in weight. Both sexes are dull in color, typically brown, grey, or olive, but males sport a row of white dots along their sides and bright yellow, orange, green, or blue undersides. Females can also have yellow or orange patches along their sides, but they are not as vivid in color.

Conservation status: Common lizards have the widest distribution of any lizard species, and are abundant throughout their range. They can be found in urban areas. As a result, the IUCN has classified the species as Least Concern.

Photos

Jörg Hempel

Helen Kitson

Wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) ; Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) ; Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1958.

Geniez´s Wall Lizard - Lagartixa-ibérica (Podarcis virescens)

Cruz Quebrada/Portugal (5/09/2025)

A snake eyed lizard (Ophisops elegans) in Lesvos, Greece

Luta greco-romana | Greco-Roman wrestling

isn’t a manlet a guy on the smaller side who’s super muscley? vegeta would definitely fit that category, but frieza is A) not technically a guy and B) relatively slim most of the time

August 14, World Lizard Day!

Our friends @histsciart remind us that today is World Lizard Day, a day to celebrate this enormous group of squamate reptiles that includes over 6,000 species. Today we bring you chromolithographs and wood engravings of just a few of them from volume one, part three of the 1882-84 edition of Brehms Thierleben. From top to bottom we have:

Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) Frilled-necked Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) Stellagama (Stellagama stellio) Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus) Green iguana (Iguana iguana) Flying Dragon (Draco volans) Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)

Yay, Lizards!!