the.com/lizards
sunbathing dinosaurs that drop their tails when life gets too clingy.
means Lizards are scaly, cold-blooded reptiles with four legs, dry skin, and usually a long tail — a group that includes geckos, iguanas, skinks, and chameleons.
from From Middle English "lesarde," borrowed from Old French "lesarde," which traces back to Latin "lacertus." Curiously, that same Latin word also meant the muscle of the upper arm — perhaps because a flexing bicep, rippling under the skin, looked to Roman eyes like a little darting reptile. The word "alligator" is a distant cousin, coming from Spanish "el lagarto," "the lizard."
- tail trick
- detached tails wiggle to distract hungry predators
- third eye
- many have a light-sensing spot atop their skull
- licking eyes
- geckos clean lidless eyes with their tongues
- cold-blooded
- they bask to power up like solar panels
- running on water
- basilisks sprint across ponds without sinking
komodo dragon — world's largest living lizard species, up to 10 feet long, endemic to indonesian islands
green anaconda — longest reptile in south america, some specimens exceed 20 feet, found in rainforests
frilled lizard — distinctive australian species with extendable neck frill, uses threat display defense mechanism
basilisk lizard — central american species that can run on water, earning 'jesus christ lizard' nickname