What's your opinion on Lizards? Know any fun facts about them by chance?
I love lizards, mainly because of the fact that there are so many different ones out there to see. You have over 6,000 of these squamate reptiles to study, and you can find them on all continents except Antarctica. Almost all of us have a chance to enjoy their presence.
Have you ever owned one? Is there any risks to owning one that you know of?
I've never owned one. There are a few risks, as some of them are not exactly "pet-friendly," since they have antipredator adaptations, things like venom, and reflex bleeding, along with other non-painful tactics like camouflage and being able to sacrifice their own tails and regrow them to escape!
Interesting! I'll have to rethink owning one then. Do you happen to know what the deadliest one is?
Most lizards are carnivorous, and a trait about them is they are known as "sit-and-wait" predators. But most of them can be satisfied with small insects... except the Komodo dragon, which can eat mammals as big as water buffalo.
As big as a water buffalo? That's insane! What region do Komodo dragons reside in?
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon ("Varanus komodoensis"), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases and weighing up to approximately .
Its unusually large size has been attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals fill the niche on the islands where it lives
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 6,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic as it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia; some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3 meter long Komodo dragon.
Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Others are