Lizards are one of the most ancient animals on the planet, which have preserved their unusual archaic appearance during evolution. Unlike snakes, which also belong to scaly reptiles, lizards have developed limbs. Most species are omnivorous, and enjoy eating both plant and animal foods. Consider thebiggest.ru the largest representatives of this suborder. For the impatient, we note that today the largest lizard on the planet is the Komodo lizard. The length of his body can reach up to 3 meters, and weight up to 160 kg, but read more about this below.
The largest lizards in the world:
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Megalania / Varanus priscus
Once, 40–20 thousand years ago, the largest land megalania lizard roamed the earth, which the scientific and the whole world learned about in the second half of the 19th century.
Today it is the largest species of extinct lizards. Her length reached 7 m, and she weighed 1 ton. Megalania growth was equal to 1.5 m. She lived in Australia, and perhaps the local natives hunted a large creature.
Scientists have established that she belonged to the family of monitor lizards. Recently stated that they met this creature in New Guinea. But scientists have proven that megalania has died out long ago. By the way, you can learn about animals that have died out in the 21st century in one of our articles.
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Arizona Toadjack / Heloderma suspectum
A beautiful and intimidating dragon-like creature is found in the United States and parts of Mexico. It is often called the “Hila-monster,” along the Hila River, where a large population of venomosus lives.
The length of the body of an Arizona toothfish reaches 60 cm, of which 17 cm falls on a powerful tail. The lizard is colorful in color. On the brown body are bright orange-yellow spots. Young individuals are bright, and over time the colors fade.
It feeds mainly on reptile and bird eggs. Hunting them in the United States is prohibited. He is the official mascot of the Vegas Golden Knights hockey club.
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Chameleon / Chamaeleonidae
One of the most amazing lizards of the planet, able to change the color of its body. During evolution, chameleons easily adapted to the arboreal lifestyle.
The word "chameleon" came to the Russian language from the ancient Greek language. And it means "earth lion." In total, there are 193 species of chameleons on the planet, which vary in size and lifestyle. The largest reach 60 cm in length. Chameleons are found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In Europe, chosen the south of the Iberian Peninsula.
Small populations settled in Hawaii, as well as the states of Arizona and California. Recently, chameleons have become popular inhabitants of home terrariums.
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Philippine Sailing Lizard / Hydrosaurus pustulatus
A large representative of the agam family, unlike her brothers, does not have a neck collar. They have a crest on their back and tail, which is why they were called sailing lizards.
They grow no more than 1 m, and the body color is greenish-gray. This color helps them easily hide in foliage. They live in the tropical rainforests of the Philippines. They prefer to settle along the banks of rivers, as well as near vast rice plantations.
The male from the female is easily distinguished by the size of the dorsal crest. In males, it is much larger. These lizards are omnivorous, eating fruits, plants. Superbly prey on reptiles, insects and small rodents.
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Iguana Kinolof / Iguana Kinolof
The graceful inhabitant of the Galapagos Islands prefers to settle in holes among the stones, and she eats the fruits of tropical trees and plants. Young cacti sprouts are especially fond of.
It grows to 1.25 m, and adults weigh up to 13 kg. Body color is quite original. Most females and males are spotty with a yellowish-green tint. Color changes depending on the time of day. A crest runs along the back, giving the iguana a resemblance to mythical dragons.
A rather slow creature, it spends most of the day basking in the sun on coastal stones.
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Marine iguana / Amblyrhynchus cristatus
Another inhabitant of the Galapagos Islands spends most of the time at sea. That is why in 1825 it received its specific name.
The black lizard, crawling ashore, basks on the stones, and the black coloring helps to absorb more sunlight and warm up quickly. There are special glands in the nostrils of the sea iguana through which excess sea salt is removed from the body.
Animals grow up to 1.4 m in length, and males are much larger than females. They feed on algae. They swim superbly, curving the body. Dive during low tides, and under water can be up to 1 hour. Under water, blood flows only to vital organs.
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Argentinean black and white tegu / Tupinambis merianae
In the jungles of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, you can meet an unusual and beautiful large lizard. Settles in tropical rainforests, savannas and semi-deserts.
Adult individuals reach a length of 1.5 m, and local residents reported that they met two-meter specimens. Daegu are omnivores, and besides plants they feed on rodents, snakes, and ravage the nests of birds. May throw part of its tail to disorient the attacking predator. Over time, this part of the body quickly regenerates.
A large American lizard is often kept as a pet. They are easily attached to the owner, require a minimum of attention, and some note that the Tag can be trained.
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Bengal monitor / Varanus bengalensis
It's time to get acquainted with an amazing family of monitor lizards, and the list of majestic and graceful resident of Pakistan and India Bengal monitor opens the list.
They grow up to 180 cm in length, and weigh from 7 to 8 kg. The color is usually light brown, practical sand. Sometimes there are dark spots all over the body. Settle among the rainforests, and can come close to human dwellings. Individuals living in northern Pakistan fall into hibernation.
This is an agile, but not aggressive hunter. It feeds on small rodents, snakes. With pleasure he eats eggs of birds, crocodiles, snakes. Among natural enemies, the tiger python is considered the most dangerous, which attacks the lizard even in its refuge.
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Varanus salvadorii
In the photo, the largest lizard of New Guinea, and it received its species name in honor of the famous Italian scientist Tommaso Salvadori. Also known as a crocodile monitor lizard.
The largest specimen recorded in history was a male 2.63 m long, but usually does not grow more than 2.20 m. They live in tropical forests and coastal areas of mangrove swamps. Feel free among the branches of trees, and to navigate the terrain they rise high on their hind legs.
It can be distinguished from other representatives by a blunted muzzle, because in other monitor lizards it is elongated.
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Striped monitor lizard / Varanus salvator
In rare cases, it can grow up to 3 m, but on average the length of this lizard does not exceed 250 cm. Weigh from 15 to 20 kg. And males are much more massive and larger than females.
The animals were chosen as the habitat by the Hindustan Peninsula and some large islands, including Sumatra and Java. Leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle, which is why it is also called water lizard or kabaragoya. It dives well and can be under water for up to 30 minutes.
In addition, deep burrows up to 10 m deep can be dug on the ground, and it also perfectly climbs tree branches. It looks intimidating, and therefore it has few natural enemies.
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Giant Varanus / Varanus giganteus
You can meet this beauty in the vastness of Australia, from Queensland to the west coast of the Green Continent. The tail length is 2.5 m and the weight is from 20 to 25 kg.
This is one of the fastest and most hardy lizards on the planet. During hunting or danger, an adult can reach a speed of 40 km / h. Leads a secretive lifestyle, and is not often shown to the eyes of many Australian tourists. The species was first described and introduced into the classification in 1845.
More recently, Australian zoologists have discovered that this species is poisonous. The bite is painful, with swelling and fever, but is not fatal to humans.
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Komodo lizard / Varanus komodoensis
The largest lizard and the heaviest of all scaly lives on the islands of Indonesia. On one of the islands it got its own species name, and the people still call them Komodo Dragon.
The length of adult specimens reaches 3 m, while they weigh more than 160 kg. Despite these sizes, they swim great, climb trees, and when running they reach speeds of up to 20 km / h.
Australia is considered the historical homeland, and discovered a new species in 1912. There are attacks on people, but basically a graceful and majestic monitor lizard has a calm disposition. Lizards in Thailand are a real natural asset. Meeting with monitor lizards will give only positive emotions.
Conclusion
Lizards are widely represented in culture. In Medieval Europe, she was a symbol of personified Logic, as one of the Seven Free Arts. In the tale of the Russian writer Pavel Bazhov, she guarded the treasures of the Copper Mountain, therefore she is depicted on the coat of arms of the Polevsky city district. In the legends and myths of the tribes of Australia and South America, they symbolized the process of reincarnation and adultery. Lizards were depicted on the knight's coat of arms, but many historians say that for the most part these are salamanders. TheBiggest editors are happy to read your comments on this interesting topic. Perhaps you met with the largest lizards from this list?
Posted by Valery Skiba