Lizards are a far-reaching gathering of squamate reptiles, with more than 6,000 species, extending over all landmasses aside from Antarctica, just as most maritime island chains. The gathering is paraphyletic as it bars the snakes and Amphisbaenia; a few lizards are all the more firmly identified with these two barred gatherings than they are to different lizards. Lizards run in size from chameleons and geckos a couple of centimeters long to the 3-meter long Komodo mythical beast.
Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a solid side-to-side movement. Others are legless and have long snake-like bodies. Whatever as the timberland abiding Draco lizards can coast. They are frequently regional, the guys warding off different guys and flagging, regularly with splendid hues, to draw in mates and to scare rivals. Lizards are primarily predatory, regularly being sit-and-hold up predators; numerous littler species eat creepy crawlies, while the Komodo eats warm-blooded animals as large as water wild bull.
Lizards utilize an assortment of antipredator adjustments, including venom, cover, reflex dying, and the capacity to forfeit and regrow their tails.
LIZARDS are a broad group of reptiles generally characterized by the presence of limbs and external ear openings, though some species have lost these features due to secondary adaptations. Sri Lanka is home to 104 species of lizard in 10 families (Agamidae, Chameleonidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, Lygosomidac. Mabuyidae. Ratellidae Scincidae, Sphenomorphidae and Varanidae). Of these, 83 species are endemic Lanka.
Agamids, or dragon lizards, Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards 
indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. small to medium-sized (14-145 cm) diurnal lizards usually with a crest behind the head that continues to the middle of the back. They are characterized by well-developed limbs, keeled body scales, and teeth that are attached to the jawbone. Though the majority are oviparous, a few are ovoviviparous. Most species live on trees and bushes; a few are terrestrial. Nearly all are insectivorous The family includes more than 450 species distributed in Africa, Asia, Australia, and southern Europe. Twenty-one species are known from Sri Lanka, of which 18 are endemic to the island. The species are represented by six genera (Calotes, Ceratophora, Cophotis Lyriocephalus, Otocryptis, and Sitana), of which Ceratophora, Cophotis, and Lyriocephalus are restricted to the island.
CHECK OUT – INTRODUCTION FOR CROCODYLIDAE (CROCODILES)
INTRODUCTION FOR DRAGON LIZARDS References
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- Evans, Jones; et al. (2011). “Hard tissue anatomy of the cranial joints in Sphenodon (Rhynchocephalia): sutures, kinesis, and skull mechanics”. Palaeontologia Electronica. 14(2, 17A): 1–92.
- Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bauer, A. M.; Kluge, A. G.; Schuett, G. (2002). “Lizards”. In Halliday, T.; Adler, K. (eds.). The Firefly Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Firefly Books. pp. 139–169. ISBN 978-1-55297-613-5.
- Starr, C.; Taggart, R.; Evers, C. (2012). Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life. Cengage Learning. p. 429. ISBN 978-1111425692.
