[Biology Class Notes] on Lizard Life Cycle Pdf for EXAM

Lizards belong to a reptile group as there are more than 6,000 species of reptiles ranging all across the world except Antarctica as they can not survive in island chains. Their size ranges from chameleons of a few centimeters to komodo dragons of 3 meter long. Most of the lizards run with strong side to side motion, i.e, quadrupedal motion. Some of them are legless and have snake-like bodies and most of them have the property to glide. They are mainly carnivorous in nature as they feed on prey for their survival. Their most common prey is terrestrial invertebrates. They are scaly skinned reptiles that are easily distinguished from snakes by their possession of legs, movable eyelids, and external ear openings.

 

Classification of Lizard

Life Cycle of Lizard

Life cycle of lizard is divided into three stages, they are given below:

1. Lying and Hatching of Eggs: The life cycle begins with the lizard hatching from an egg, as some species give birth to young ones but in case of lizards they have to undergo a metamorphosis process for further development. After their development adult lizards lay eggs which again undergo the same process of laying eggs and developing into new adults. Time taken from laying eggs to developing into new individuals varies from species to species. Some species of lizards lay eggs in the hole and leave the eggs on their own. Some species will return to warm the eggs and their incubation period varies from 30-90 days.

2. The Juvenile Stage: After hatching or giving birth, juvenile lizards are now ready to undergo development to form developed individuals. In some species of lizards, juvenile lizards do not get proper care from their parents. 

 

3. An Adult Stage: When lizards are fully developed they further undergo the mating process. This mating process varies from species to species. During the mating process males attract females by spreading their frill and once mating is done they lay eggs between 8 to 23. Perfect atmosphere for mating is the dry season. 

Adaptation Done by Them for Survival

Lizards can survive anywhere, whether it be deep oceans or harsh climates. Due to their similarity with snakes they are often mistaken, but one major difference between snakes and lizards is the presence of legs in lizards and moveable eyelids in lizards. Lizards develop dry scaly skin but most lizards lack this dry scaly more adapting with different conditions. Defence capability of lizards is awesome. They have caudal autotomy, where they protect themself with the help of their tail and make a hostile environment for themself. Most amazing feature of lizards is growing back their tails.

Conclusion

Lizards are a wonderful part of the reptilia community and have a very elegant life. Well, who wouldn’t like to be on walls and be able to peek whenever, jokes apart. This article gives you great insight on the Lizard family and their life cycle. You can garner some fascinating facts from here.