Erhard's wall lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Erhard's wall lizard |
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| Photographed on Santorini | |
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| Genus: |
Podarcis
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| Species: |
erhardii
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The Erhard's wall lizard (scientific name: Podarcis erhardii) is a small, quick lizard. It's also known as the Aegean wall lizard. This lizard belongs to the Lacertidae family, which includes many types of wall lizards. You can only find this special lizard in Southeast Europe. This means it lives naturally in that area and nowhere else in the world.
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What's in a Name?
The scientific name, erhardii, honors a German naturalist named Dr. D. Erhard. He wrote a book about the animals of the Cyclades islands in 1858. Scientists often name new species after people who helped discover or study them.
Where Erhard's Wall Lizards Live
You can find the Erhard's wall lizard in the Balkan peninsula and the Aegean islands. On the mainland, they live in Albania, North Macedonia, and southern Bulgaria. They also live in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.
In the Aegean islands, they are found almost everywhere. However, they do not live on Milos or its nearby islands. Another type of lizard, the Milos wall lizard, lives there instead.
What Erhard's Wall Lizards Look Like
An Erhard's wall lizard is about 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) long from its snout to the base of its tail. Its tail is usually twice as long as its body. These lizards have a wide head and smooth skin.
Their colors and patterns can be very different from one lizard to another. They are often grey or brown, but some can be green. Females often have stripes. They might have two white stripes along their back, with dark stripes or spots next to them. Sometimes, there's a dark line down the middle of their back.
Some male lizards have a cool net-like pattern. This means their lines and spots mix together. The belly and throat are usually white, yellow, orange, or red. On the Aegean Islands, their bellies can even be green, blue, or grey. Their bellies are never spotty, but sometimes they have blue spots on their back legs.
Where Erhard's Wall Lizards Make Their Home
Erhard's wall lizards prefer dry, rocky places. They like areas with thick, low bushes. These lizards are very good climbers. They can easily move around on rocks and plants.
On the Aegean islands, these lizards also live in open areas. This includes places like sand dunes covered with plants. They adapt well to different environments.
What Erhard's Wall Lizards Eat
Erhard's wall lizards are insect eaters. They mostly munch on arthropods, especially different kinds of insects. This helps control insect populations in their habitat.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Erhard's wall lizards mate in the spring. The females lay their eggs at the beginning of summer. The young lizards hatch from their eggs in September. When they first hatch, they are very tiny, only about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) long.
How Erhard's Wall Lizards Behave
These lizards are smart about staying safe. They choose backgrounds that match their own color. This helps them blend in with their surroundings. Blending in is a great way to hide from birds and other animals that might try to eat them. This behavior is called camouflage.
Different Types of Erhard's Wall Lizards
Scientists have described many different types of Erhard's wall lizards. These are called subspecies. While many have been named, some scientists believe there are four main subspecies that are truly different. These include the most common type, called the nominotypical subspecies.
- Podarcis erhardii erhardii
- Podarcis erhardii livadiacus
- Podarcis erhardii riveti
- Podarcis erhardii thessalicus
- Podarcis erhardii ruthvenii
