#viviparous lizard

[michaelnordeman]

Amphibians and reptiles: Smooth newt/mindre vattensalamander, European grass snake/snok, and Vivoparous lizard/skogsödla. Värmland, Sweden (15 April 2020).

[panidanya]

everyone look at this small itty bitty tiny little friend i met yesterday

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Living Vicariously Through the Viviparous Lizard

The viviparous lizard, also known as the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), is a species of lizard native to northern Eurasia, from the Alps and the Carpathians in Europe and the Gobi Desert in Asia up to the Arctic Circle. In fact, they are the northernmost species of lizard in the world. They are found in a variety of open habitats including grasslands, peat bogs, dunes, and sparse forests, as well as rural human developments and gardens.

Viviparous lizards are named for their unique reproductive method. Populations in the southern extent of their range are oviparous, producing eggs, but populations farther north are viviparous, giving birth to live young. In both cases, clutch size can vary between 4 to 11 offspring.

Mating begins in April and continues throughout the spring. Males and females shed their skin before beginning courtship, and males then select their partner based on her color; the more dull, the better. Both sexes will have multiple mates throughout the season. After mating, females lay their eggs in a nest built in vegetation close to water. Eggs and pregnant females share an incubation period of three months, and after emerging the young are fully independent. Juveniles take about 2 years to reach full maturity, and individuals may live up to 6 years in the wild.

In colder regions, common lizards hibernate under leaf litter from October to March. When they emerge, they are active mainly during the day. Some adults may share a territory, but they are not actively social. Z. vivipara prey on a range of insects including flies, spiders, cicadas, and larvae. Due to their small size, common lizards are a prime target for birds of prey, crows, snakes, shrikes, hedgehogs, shrews, foxes, and domestic cats.

Viviparous lizards range from 10-15 cm (3.9-5.9 in) in length and 2 to 5 g (0.07-0.17 oz) in weight. Both sexes are dull in color, typically brown, grey, or olive, but males sport a row of white dots along their sides and bright yellow, orange, green, or blue undersides. Females can also have yellow or orange patches along their sides, but they are not as vivid in color.

Conservation status: Common lizards have the widest distribution of any lizard species, and are abundant throughout their range. They can be found in urban areas. As a result, the IUCN has classified the species as Least Concern.

Photos

Jörg Hempel

Helen Kitson

Philip Mark Osso

[margocooper]

Лучше попугая на плече только лесная гостья-живородящая ящерица (лат. Zootoca vivipara). Май 24. The only thing better than a parrot on the shoulder is the forest guest-viviparous lizard (lat. Zootoca vivipara). May 24.

[flourishingmeadowescapism]

Little curious lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

[feather-bone]

Viviparous lizard! Its name comes from the Latin words for “live birth” - unusually for reptiles, they give birth to live young most of the time instead of laying eggs!

[ID: an illustration of a light brown lizard with darker and lighter brown speckled markings, curled to the left on a light green background. It is surrounded by pink flowers and petals. End.]

[pictures-and-things-321]

A bunch of teeny tiny adorable lizards my mum, my brother and I spotted yesterday while on a short walk. These little cuties were living in a cemetery wall.

I think they are viviparous lizards (Zootoca vivipara) if so they "give birth" to live young. Which I think means that they retain the fertilized eggs internationally until they hatch.

Edit: internally not internationally lol

[giulliadella]

Day 51 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:

Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is the smallest European lizard. This is an adult female, they don’t get bigger than this. These lizards prefer to live in cold climate and on high mountains. They can be found in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, the Alps and all mountain ranges in Balkans. They adapted to cold climate and long winters by live bearing and being tiny.

This is the last creature we found! I hope you enjoyed this “series” and fun facts about all the animals we met.