How beautiful and great our world is! Its diversity is simply amazing, because a person has not yet learned all kinds of animals and plants. Before the study of nature was paid little attention, because scientists have worked on the development of science and industry. The trend towards the discovery of new living organisms began to appear only towards the end of the 18th century: first scientists and scientists of Europe interested in the flora and fauna of our Earth, who possessed the latest technology at that time, and then acquired knowledge in Asia, where the study of all life on the planet also began.
Everyone knows that animals were divided into wild and domestic animals. The first, of course, were only in the wild and not subject to domestication, the latter could live in peace at home. Since not all animals could be kept at home, experts identified several species to facilitate choice. One of them is a lizard. It simultaneously became a wild reptile, and one that can live together with people in their home. Since, with proper treatment, the viviparous lizard at home feels free and quite comfortable, scientists decided to refer it to domestic reptiles. In our today's article you will find out what kind of animal it is and how it differs from many others.
Viviparous lizard (Latin name Zootoca vivipara) refers to a large family of true lizards. Since it practically does not perceive low temperatures, it can live even in cold conditions. At the moment, it is common in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and also in Asia.
The viviparous lizard has an average of 15 centimeters in length, although larger specimens are also found. In this case, it has a tail of about 11 centimeters in length. Males and females differ in their color. In ladies, the lower part is usually light (light green or yellowish), the males are distinguished by its brick-red shade. However, not all lizards have the same tone. There are individuals with a pronounced red tinge 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 the original color, the viviparous lizard is characterized by strips running all over the body. Most often they are black, although there are individuals with gray and brown stripes. This reptile feeds on insects: beetles, earthworms, mosquitoes. Since her teeth are very small and unable to chew food, she keeps the prey in her teeth for a while, and then swallows it whole. Like all other species of reptiles, the viviparous lizard swims very well, than often rescues from enemies. For the winter, it falls into a kind of hibernation, burrowing into shallow burrows (up to 30 centimeters under the ground).
This species of reptiles becomes sexually mature by the third year of life. After the end of winter hibernation (around April), the lizard is ready for mating. The viviparous lizard (you already saw its photo in our article) is a rare type of reptile. First, it is an extraordinary representative of its species, listed in the Red Book, and secondly, it is one of the few reptiles that can live.