Lizard Picture

A lizard picture is easily obtainable as they aren't only found in wild or protected areas. Their habitat is very diverse: from savannah, woodland and rocks to the coast, houses and front rooms.

Lizard camouflaged

Lizard camouflaged against a same-coloured tree

There are 3000 different types worldwide. Although they all have dry, scaly skin they are very different in a lot of aspects.

Some lay eggs, while others give birth to live young.

Some can walk on the ceiling, some glide from tree to tree and some run on their hind legs.

Most have such flat body shapes that it can easily disappear into thin cracks to hide from birds (and cameras).

Lizard Picture - Facts and Information

Lizard

Some lizards look horrific, but there are no poisonous ones in southern Africa.

Lizards eat insects such as ants, beetles, larvae and flies, so the ones we get around the house or game lodge are actually very welcome!

All lizards are cold-blooded, which means that they don't have a control mechanism keeping their body temperature constant irrespective of their surroundings.

They need the sun to warm their blood and provide them with energy to move. Therefore lizards will remain inactive on cold days and may hibernate in winter.

On sunny days they bask in the sun and escape to the shade when it gets too hot. The hotter the weather, the more active the lizard will be. So while the temperature's high, you should get plenty of opportunity to photograph basking lizards from all angles.

Lizards are very adaptable and usually well camouflaged in their surroundings. If it's a species with colour, the male is always more colourful than the female, and a dominant male even brighter.

It seems lizards are quite territorial and live in groups of females, juveniles and immature males, headed by a dominant male.

When a lizard is frightened, it often sheds its tail after which a new one will grow in its place. I saw this on a wine farm in South Africa's Cape province recently and the little discarded tail wriggled about on its own, like a headless worm... very peculiar!