Scientific Name of Lizard (original) (raw)
Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
**Lacertilia is the Scientific name of the lizard. Reptiles belonging to the class Reptilia and the order Squamata include lizards. There are more than 6,000 different species of lizards on every continent excluding Antarctica. The smallest species of lizard is the Sphaerodactylus ariasae, sometimes known as the Jaragua lizard. It was found on an island off the Dominican Republic's coast.
Table of Content
- What is the Scientific Name of Lizard?
- Scientific Name of Lizard in India
- Common Name of Lizard
- Taxonomy of Lizard
- Family and Species of Lizard
- Characteristics of Lizard
What is the Scientific Name of Lizard?
The scientific name of the lizard is Lacertilia. Lizards are a diversified group of squamate reptiles found on every continent except Antarctica. Lizards range in size and shape, from chameleons and geckos that are a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Many lizards are quadrupedal, whereas others lack legs and have lengthy, wasp-like bodies. Most lizards, including the forest-dwelling Draco lizards, can glide. The largest living lizard in the world, the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is at the other end of the spectrum.
The longest confirmed specimen had a total length of 10.3 feet and weighed more than 160 kilograms. Varanus komodoensis lives on the Indonesian islands of Flores, Rinca, Gili Motang, and Komodo. Additionally, it is reported that the Komodo dragon secretes a toxic combination of proteins and anticoagulants in its saliva, making it poisonous.
Scientific Name of Lizard in India
The scientific name of the Lizard in India is **Varanus bengalensis (Bengal monitor). The Bengal monitor, also known as the **common Indian monitor, is a monitor lizard that is found throughout the Indian Subcontinent as well as some regions of Southeast Asia and West Asia. Its length, measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, ranges from roughly 61 to 175 cm (24 to 69 in) in size. This huge lizard is primarily a terrestrial animal.
Common Name of Lizard
As we know, lizards are scaly-skin reptiles and includes a number of species. Some of them are Chameleons, dragons, geckos, iguanas, monitors, skinks, and Gila monsters. But they are different from each other in color, dimensions, appearance, etc. Thus, Lizard is the common name used for all of them.
Taxonomy of Lizard
Taxonomy of lizard is as follows:
| **Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| **Phylum | Chordata |
| **Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| **Class | Reptilia |
| **Subclass | Diapsida |
| **Order | Squamata |
| **Suborder | Lacertilia |
Family and Species of Lizard
Ther are four suborders of Lacertilia that are usually recognized: Iguania, Gekkota, Amphisbaenia, and Autarchoglossa. And over 5,600 different species of lizards can be found worldwide. Some of them are listed below:
Iguania
| **Family | **Species |
|---|---|
| Agamidae | Agamid lizards, Old World arboreal lizards |
| Chamaeleonidae | Chameleons |
| Corytophanidae | Helmet lizards |
| Crotaphytidae | Collared lizards, leopard lizards |
| Hoplocercidae | Dwarf and spiny-tail iguanas |
Gekkota
| **Family | **Species |
|---|---|
| Eublepharinae | 'Eyelid' geckos |
| Gekkonidae | Geckos |
| Pygopodidae | Flap-footed lizards |
Amphisbaenia
| **Family | **Species |
|---|---|
| Amphisbaenidae | Amphisbaenids, tropical worm lizards |
| Bipedidae | Ajolotes |
| Rhineuridae | North American worm lizards |
| Trogonophidae | Palearctic worm lizards |
| Blanidae | Anatolian, Iberian, and Moroccan worm lizards |
Autarchoglossa
| **Family | **Species |
|---|---|
| Anguidae | Alligator Lizards, Anguid Lizards, Anguids, Galliwasps, Glass Lizards |
| Anniellidae | Legless Lizards, North American Legless Lizards |
| Cordylidae | Girdle-tailed Lizards |
| Gerrhosauridae | Plated Lizards |
| Gymnophthalmidae | Spectacled lizards |
Characteristics of Lizard
Some of the important characteristics of Lizards are mentioned below:
- The lizards are four-legged animals with external ears, movable eyelids, a small neck, and a lengthy tail that they can lose to run away from predators.
- The lifespan of a lizard varies depending on its species. In a typical household, geckos live for around 10-15 years, chameleons for about 5-7 years, iguanas for about 20 years, and the Komodo Dragon, the largest of the reptiles, lives for about 40 years on average.
- Most lizards are predators, and their preferred prey is tiny, terrestrial invertebrates, particularly insects. Many are the predators that "sit and wait." Chameleons eat spiders as well as insects including beetles, grasshoppers, and winged termites.
- The senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing are all used by lizards. While geckos depend heavily on their sharp vision to locate and judge the distance to their food before striking, skinks primarily reside under loose dirt and depend on their sense of smell and touch.
- The tongue of the lizards is always lengthy and stretches outward from the mouth. Whiptails, beaded lizards, and monitor lizards have forked tongues that are mainly used to sense the environment.
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