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Lizard Palace - Lizards love it
Add a Lizard Palace to your
garden by simply piling up rocks into a pyramid! Especially
if you live along the coast, curly-tailed Lion Lizards
will move in. You can enhance the appearance of your
Lizard Palace by purchasing a ceramic "Lizard Palace" tile
from the National Trust (handmade by the students of
Bodden Town Primary) or decorating it with a toy or
ceramic lizard from a tourist shop. |
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Size: Males up to 130 mm SVL*; females are smaller. These
are easily recognized by a long banded tail that curls
over the back. This lizard has a glossy look, though
scales are rough. Colour is brownish-green-gray with
considerably barring and mottling. Underside is pale
yellow. Full-grown males have a bulkier head than the
females. Males have throat fan, but this is hardly ever
seen. They are commonly seen, even in urban areas, but
usually near the beach and using rocks for cover. They
bury themselves in the sand to sleep at night, but during
the day they emerge to sun themselves to stimulate their
metabolism before hunting insects. They lay eggs in small
batches (perhaps three), usually adhering to rocky surfaces.
Hatchlings emerge in July, August and September. It is
reported that they lay several batches of eggs during
the season. Hatchlings have a bright orange throat that
lasts only for the first three or four days.
These lizards can become very tame and will learn to
expect food from humans. They prefer high protein snacks
such as eggs, cheese or meat. This charming lizard, found
all over the islands in gardens and on beaches is particularly
vulnerable to predation by housecats. |
