Sand Lizard
Lacerta agilis
Description 2
The sand lizard is a sexually dimorphic legged lizard. In northwest Europe, both sexes are characterised by lateral and dorsal strips of ocellated (eye-shaped) markings, dark patches with pale centres. Colouration varies across their European and Russian range. Males have finer markings than females, and their flanks turn bright green during the spring mating season, fading again in the late summer. Sand lizards can reach up to 25 cm (10 in) in length.
It has several subspecies, the westernmost of which is L. a. agilis. In this and the other main western subspecies (L. a. argus), the dorsal stripe is thin and interrupted, or not present at all. This applies particularly to the latter subspecies, which also includes a plain red or brown-backed phase without any dorsal markings. In these two subspecies, only the flanks of the males turn green in the mating season, but in the eastern subspecies (predominantly L. a. exigua), males can be wholly green, even outside the breeding season.
Most of these lizards live in Eastern Europe. They are mostly common in Poland, Czech Republic, and countries around that area.
They bask on rocks in the day and at night they go into their holes under ground. To protect themselves, they pop off their tails and bite the predators.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Aleksandar, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Aleksandar
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_lizard
More Info
iNat Map
| Region | Banat, Bačka, Južno Pomoravlje, Kosovo i Metohija, Podrinje i Posavina, Rasina i Toplica, Raška, Srem, Timok i Braničevo, Šopluk, Šumadija |
|---|
