Lizards

Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes, encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The grouping is paraphyletic as some lizards are more closely related to snakes than they are to other lizards.

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Dragons & Agamas

"Dragons" and "Agamas" are often used interchangeably, but "Agamidae" is the family name for a large group of lizards, which includes many species commonly called "dragons". The term "dragon" is particularly used for some Australian agamid species, like the bearded dragon, while the term "agama" can refer to the broader family or to smaller species within the genus Agama.

Agamas

Definition: The family Agamidae is a diverse group of lizards with 582 species found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and Southern Europe.
Examples: The family includes various lizards, from the common bearded dragon to the smaller painted agama.
Genus Agama: The genus Agama specifically refers to a genus of around 37 species of small to medium-sized, long-tailed, insectivorous lizards found mainly in Africa.
Other names: Some agamid species are known by other common names, such as "stellion" or "rock agama".

Dragons

Definition: The common name "dragon" is used for many agamid species, especially the larger ones from Australia.
Examples: The bearded dragon and the water dragon are two well-known examples of Australian agamid dragons.
Common use: "Dragon" is often used as a popular name for a specific type of agama, such as the bearded dragon, when referring to pets.

Geckos

Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the suborder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from 1.6 to 67 centimetres. Wikipedia

Lifespan: Leopard gecko: 15 years

Clutch size: Texas banded gecko: 2

Clade: Gekkonomorpha

Class: Reptilia

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Squamata

Chameleons

Chameleons are a distinctive family of Old World lizards known for their color-changing skin, long projectile tongues, and independently moving eyes. These adaptations help them with communication, camouflage, temperature regulation, and hunting in their natural habitats, which include rainforests, deserts, and savannas. While popular as pets, they have specific and demanding care requirements.

Monitors

Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus Varanus, the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the southern United States as an invasive species. About 80 species are recognized. Wikipedia

Speed: 20 km/h (Maximum)

Scientific name: Varanus

Mass: 1 – 170 kg

Class: Reptilia

Family: Varanidae

Genus: Varanus; Merrem, 1820

Skinks

Skinks are lizards that comprise all species within the family Scincidae, which is part of the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Scincidae

Family: Scincidae; Oppel, 1811

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Infraorder: Scincomorpha

Kingdom: Animalia

Tegus

Tegus are large, intelligent lizards native to South and Central America, known for their omnivorous diet and sometimes kept as exotic pets. They are strong swimmers and enter a hibernation-like state called brumation during colder months. The term "tegu" can refer to several genera within the family Teiidae, the most famous being the Argentine black and white tegu ( Salvator merianae).

Iguanas

Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist J.N. Laurenti in 1768. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Iguana

Length: Green iguana: 30 – 42 cm, Marine iguana: 60 – 100 cm, Blue iguana: 51 – 76 cm

Class: Reptilia

Family: Iguanidae

Genus: Iguana; Laurenti, 1768

Kingdom: Animalia

Uromastyxs

Uromastyx is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is native to Africa and the Middle East. Members of the species are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Uromastyx

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Agamidae

Genus: Uromastyx; Merrem, 1820

Kingdom: Animalia

Collared Lizards

Crotaphytus is a genus of lizards, commonly known as collared lizards, in the family Crotaphytidae. Member species are small to medium-sized predators indigenous to the American southwest, Baja peninsula, and Mexico.

Anoles

Anolis is a genus of anoles, iguanian lizards in the family Dactyloidae, native to the Americas. With more than 425 species, it represents the world's most species-rich amniote tetrapod genus, although many of these have been proposed to be moved to other genera, in which case only about 45 Anolis species remain. Wikipedia

Family: Dactyloidae

Class: Reptilia

Genus: Anolis; Daudin, 1802

Phylum: Chordata

Order: Squamata

Kingdom: Animalia

Leopard Gecko

The leopard gecko or common leopard gecko is a ground-dwelling gecko native to the rocky dry grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. The leopard gecko is a popular pet, and due to extensive captive breeding it is sometimes referred to as the first domesticated species of lizard