lizard: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

Male lizard 'perfumes' may be more about rivalry than seduction • Nov. 9, 2026, 5:40 PM ET (Phys.org)

Lizard tail trapped in amber reveals a 99-million-year-old survival trick • Oct. 31, 2026, 7:35 AM ET (Earth.com)

Lizard Dropped Its Tail 99 Million Years Ago, Amber Preserved Evidence • Oct. 16, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Sci.News)

Facts

Also Known As	Sauria

Photos and Videos

black girdle-tailed lizard

Illustration showing ten types of lizards and related reptiles, each labeled with their common and scientific names, including Jackson's chameleon, plumed basilisk, flying lizard, red worm lizard, common wall lizard, eastern glass lizard, Texas horned lizard, tokay gecko, gila monster, and Algerian cylindrical skink.

Illustration showing specialized structures in lizards: the frilled lizard with its large neck frill extended, an anole displaying its red throat dewlap, a water lizard's dorsal sail, the fan-shaped toes of a fan-footed gecko, and the fringed toes of a fringe-toed lizard.

A Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) with a patterned black and pink body rests on sandy ground among prickly pear cactus pads.

A bright green day gecko with red spots on its back rests on a branch, surrounded by dry leaves in Madagascar.

Emoia caeruleocauda, the Pacific bluetail skink, with a bright blue tail and striped body, stands on a piece of dark wood with blurred mushrooms in the background.

A diagram shows a terrestrial reptile on rocks, illustrating energy exchanges with the environment through arrows labeled for reflected radiation, evaporation, direct solar radiation, thermal reradiation, convection, and conduction of heat between the lizard and the rock. Environmental and body temperatures are also noted.

Red-barred dragon lizard, Ctenophorus vadnappa, rests on a rock with its tail curled, showing textured brown skin and orange markings, in the Flinders Ranges, Australia.

A diagram illustrating the process of a snake extending and retracting its tongue to capture and deliver odor particles to the Jacobson's (vomeronasal) organ; it also shows the olfactory bulb and brain.

A Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) walks through grassy terrain with green hills and scattered trees in the background on Komodo Island.

Unique traits of the Galapagos marine iguana

How Europe's common chameleon hunts

Observe an anole change its skin colour for camouflage and fan its dewlap to mark possession or attract a mate

The World's Largest Lizard: The Komodo Dragon

How chameleons change color—and why

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Topics

Autarchoglossa Iguania dammūsa 7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Lizards and Turtles 7 Questions About Lizards, Snakes, and Other Reptiles Answered mosasaur Dibamidae chameleon gecko iguanid dinosaur snake turtle alligator archosaur Why are reptiles cold-blooded?herpetology

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