Celebrate World Lizard Day!

August 14, 2014

For those of you are lizard fans, today is World Lizard Day! What does that mean? It means you get to celebrate lizard day all day, around the world. From house geckos in Southeast Asia (or Hawaii) to bearded dragons in Australia to leopard geckos in the Middle East, lizard lovers around the world are rejoicing in celebration of one of their favorite reptiles and one of their favorite animals.

Here are a few factoids:

There are around 6,000 species of lizards, on all continents except Antarctica

There are just two known venomous lizards, the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) and the beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum).

The Komodo dragon is suspected to have venomous bite but that is still in dispute.

Most Popular Pet Lizards

The most popular pet lizards are bearded dragons and leopard geckos. Crested geckos and chameleons are also popular but not as popular as the beardies and leopard geckos.

Care sheets for two popular lizards

Leopard Gecko

Bearded Dragon

More Lizard Care Sheets

Folks in the Middle East (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.) hunt and eat Uromastyx lizards, almost to the extreme that it upset Prince Bandar bin Saud of Saudi Arabia. Read about the hunting.

Large Scale Uromastyx Hunting Condemned in Saudi Arabia

Families of Saudi Uromastyx Hunters Appeal For Their Release

Obamadon gracilis, a small lizard that went extinct more than 65 million years ago, is named after President Obama.

Largest and Smallest Lizards in the World

The largest lizards in the world? The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard species in the world. It can grow to 10 feet in length and weigh 300 pounds. These lizards are known to attack humans and have no problem taking down large deer.

The smallest lizard in the world? One of the smallest is the Brookesia micra, a chameleon species native to Madagascar. Researchers say that Brookesia micra reaches a length of slightly more than half an inch, not including their prehensile tail. It was discovered in 2012

Read about the Brookesia micra discovery.

These are but a few factoids to ponder on World Lizard Day.

For more lizard information, visit the ReptilesMagazine.com dedicated Lizards page.

John B. Virata keeps a ball python, two corn snakes, a king snake, and two leopard geckos. His first snake, a California kingsnake, was purchased at the Pet Place in Westminster, CA for $5. Follow him on Twitter @johnvirata