How beautiful and great our world is! Its diversity is simply amazing, since the man still has not recognized all kinds of animals and plants. Previously, little attention was paid to the study of nature, because scientists worked on the development of science and industry. The trend towards the discovery of new living organisms began to appear only at the end of the 18th century: first, the scientists and scientists of Europe became interested in the flora and fauna of our Earth, then they reached Asia, where the study of all life on the planet also began.
Everyone knows that animals were divided into wild and domestic. The former, naturally, were found only in the wild and could not be tamed, while the latter could live quietly at home. Since far from all animals could be kept at home, experts identified several species to facilitate selection. One of them was ranked as a lizard. She simultaneously began to be a wild reptile, and one that can coexist with people in their home. Since when properly handled, a live-bearing lizard at home feels free and quite comfortable, scientists decided to attribute it to the domestic species of reptiles. In our article today you will find out what kind of animal it is and how it differs from many others.
The viviparous lizard (Latin name Zootoca vivipara) belongs to a large family of real lizards. Since she practically does not perceive low temperatures, she can live even in cold conditions. At the moment, it is common in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, as well as in Asia.
The viviparous lizard has an average of 15 centimeters in length, although larger individuals are also found. Moreover, it has a tail about 11 centimeters long. Males and females are distinguished by their color. In ladies, the lower part is most often light (light green or yellowish), while males differ in its brick red hue. However, not all lizards have the same tone. There are individuals with a pronounced red tint and even completely black. The latter received a similar color due to internal processes and the presence of a large amount of melanin. In addition to a peculiar color, the viviparous lizard is distinguished by stripes running throughout the body. Most often they are black, although individuals with gray and brown stripes are found. This reptile feeds on insects: bugs, earthworms, mosquitoes. Since her teeth are very small and unable to chew food, she holds the prey in her teeth for a while, and then swallows it whole. Like all other reptile species, the viviparous lizard swims very well, which often escapes from enemies. For the winter, she falls into a kind of hibernation, burrowing into shallow burrows (up to 30 centimeters underground).
This type of reptile becomes sexually mature by the third year of life. After hibernation ends (around April), the lizard is ready for mating. Viviparous lizard (you already saw a photo of it in our article) is a rare type of reptile. Firstly, she is an extraordinary representative of her species, listed in the Red Book, and secondly, this is one of the few reptiles that are capable of live birth.
