Iberian wall lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Iberian wall lizard |
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| P. bocagei = dark green P. vaucheri = mid green P. muralis = pale green P. carbonelli = reddish-brown P. hispanica = other colours |
The Podarcis hispanicus, also known as the Iberian wall lizard, is a small lizard. It belongs to a group of lizards called Podarcis. You can find these lizards in Spain and Portugal. They also live in parts of northwestern Africa and coastal areas of France. In Spanish, people often call this lizard lagartija Ibérica.
Iberian wall lizards are very quick. They can move fast across rocks and walls. Male lizards often protect their own space. Female lizards lay one to five oval eggs. These eggs hatch in about eight weeks. When baby lizards are born, they are very tiny. They are only about 2 to 2.5 centimeters long from their nose to the start of their tail. These lizards usually live for about four years.
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About the Iberian Wall Lizard
The Iberian wall lizard was first described in 1870. Scientists have learned that there are many different types of this lizard. They are all part of a larger group of lizards. For example, the lizards in North Africa are now called Padarcis vaucheri.
In Portugal, there are two main types of P. hispanicus. One type lives in the north. The other type is found in the south and other areas. In Spain, one type lives in the central and northern parts. The second type lives south of the central mountains.
Scientists now see Podarcis hispanicus as a group of five related lizards. These include Podarcis bocagei, Podarcis carbonelli, Podarcis hispanicus, Podarcis liolepis, and Podarcis vaucheri.
What Does the Iberian Wall Lizard Look Like?
Adult Iberian wall lizards are usually brown or grey-brown. They have darker spots or patterns on their backs and sides. These lizards are quite small and thin. Their body length, from nose to the start of the tail, is usually about 5 to 7 centimeters. Their tail is about twice as long as their body.
These lizards do not have many different colors. Their main color is usually grey or brown. But sometimes, they can be a bit greenish. Many lizards have three thin stripes. One stripe runs down their back. The other two are on each side. Sometimes these stripes are broken into smaller marks.
Their throat is usually light-colored with small spots. Their belly is often whitish. But it can also be pink, orange, red, or light brown. Young lizards sometimes have blue tails.
The way an Iberian wall lizard looks can change a little depending on where it lives. Lizards in cooler places are often heavier and larger. They also have darker backs. Lizards in warmer, wet places are usually lighter.
Iberian wall lizards eat insects, worms, and other small creatures. They are insectivores. Male lizards often protect their territory. They can show aggression to other males in their space.
Tail Coloration and Its Purpose
The tails of Podarcis hispanicus can break off easily. This is a special trick they use to escape danger. If a predator grabs their tail, the lizard can drop it and run away. The tail will grow back later.
Some Iberian wall lizards have blue or green tails. These bright tails stand out against their darker bodies. These colorful tails can be a signal to other lizards. They might show that a lizard is not dominant. Or they might make the lizard look unappetizing to predators. Bright tails can also act as a decoy. They draw a predator's attention away from the lizard's main body. When in danger, the lizard might wag its tail to get the predator to focus on it. If the tail is attacked, the lizard has a better chance of escaping.
How Color Changes with Seasons
During the time when lizards reproduce, the belly color of lowland Podarcis hispanicus becomes lighter. This color change helps them communicate with other lizards. It is thought that lighter colors make them more visible to potential mates. When it's not breeding season, the colors change back. Lowland lizards become darker. Lizards in high places become brighter.
Also, during breeding season, the back color of lowland Podarcis hispanicus gets brighter. This helps them control their body temperature. Lizards in high places often become darker. This helps protect them from strong sunlight. They also change their color to blend in with their surroundings. This makes it harder for predators to spot them. Being able to control their body temperature helps them move around better.
Where Do Iberian Wall Lizards Live?
Different types of the Iberian wall lizard live in Spain and Portugal. In much of southern Portugal, it is the only small lizard. They are also found in southwestern France, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
One special type of this lizard, Podarcis hispanica atrata, lives on the Columbretes Islands. These islands are off the eastern coast of Spain.
These lizards are good climbers. You can find them on rocks, cliffs, walls, and even tree trunks. They can live at high altitudes, up to about 2500 meters.
Behavior and Life in the Wild
Male Lizard Conflicts
Male Podarcis hispanicus lizards have ways to fight that help them avoid getting hurt. These strategies also save their energy. This helps them survive. Male lizards rarely fight with female lizards. Males usually fight over resources or to find a mate. If a female is nearby, a male lizard defending his territory is more likely to win a fight. However, if he already has a mate, another female's presence does not change the fight's outcome. A female's presence makes the territory more valuable to the male who lives there.
Male lizards who live in a territory look for signs that another male is giving up. This helps them avoid fights they don't need. Behaviors like foot shaking or tail twitching can show that a lizard is submitting. If the resident male sees these signs, he might not attack.
Podarcis hispanicus can remember other lizards they have fought before. They remember how they look or smell. This helps them decide how a new fight might go. It often leads to shorter fights the second time they meet. This behavior helps male lizards avoid long fights if they know they will lose. It also helps them show dominance without using too much energy.
How Lizards Recognize Each Other
How social Podarcis hispanicus are depends on how well they recognize other lizards. They can tell if another lizard is male or female. They can also tell if it's ready to mate, its social rank, and if it belongs to their group. Being able to recognize individuals helps lizards form long-term relationships. It also helps them find mates. This recognition helps their population stay stable.
Podarcis hispanicus use scent marks to learn about other lizards. They can smell these marks even if they don't see the other lizard. This helps them figure out if another lizard is a threat. They can decide whether to ignore it or fight. Lizards use their sense of smell to find these chemical signals. These signals can tell them a lizard's sex and who it is.
Scent marks also help lizards know where their neighbors are. A scent mark that appears often in the middle of a lizard's territory is seen as a bigger threat. A mark that is rare, or only at the edge of the territory, is less threatening. Depending on the threat, the lizard might ignore it, approach, chase, show dominance, lunge, or even bite. Scent marks also help males and females find each other during breeding season.
Exploring New Places and Smelling the World
Podarcis hispanicus are territorial. They like to explore new places. When they arrive in a new area, they will flick their tongues a lot. This tongue flicking slows down as they get used to the new place. Tongue flicking helps lizards pick up chemicals from their surroundings. This is how they find scent marks. This exploring behavior also happens when they find other lizards in their territory.
Tongue flicking also helps them avoid predators like snakes. Lizards can smell the chemicals that snakes leave behind.
Podarcis hispanicus also release chemicals to talk to each other. These chemicals tell other lizards about their sex and other information. The chemicals change depending on the weather. In wet places, the chemicals are more spread out and stable.
During courtship, male lizards use their sense of smell to find females. They also use it to find a female that is a good match for mating. Male lizards are better at recognizing these smells. This also helps males recognize their known neighbors. This way, they don't act like a predator is nearby. Male lizards release chemicals from special glands called femoral glands. These glands are usually bigger and more active in males.
Lizards can get used to the smells of their neighbors. This helps them tell the difference between a familiar neighbor and a predator or intruder. Male Podarcis hispanicus are often territorial. But if there are many predators in their area, they are more likely to share their territory with other males. This happens as long as there is enough food and space for everyone.
The "Dear Enemy" Strategy
Territorial Podarcis hispanicus are less aggressive towards their neighbors than they are towards new lizards. This is called the "dear enemy" behavior. It helps them save energy. It also avoids fights that are not needed. It is good for male lizards to avoid fighting when they can.
Reproduction and Mating
Podarcis hispanicus lizards have many mating partners. Male lizards often have more success in reproducing than females. This is because they are dominant and protect their territory. Dominant male lizards have many partners. So, male Podarcis hispanicus are more focused on protecting their resources than their mates. We don't know much about how involved these lizards are with their babies.
Female lizards use their sense of smell to find territories with male lizards. If a male lizard is present, it tells the female that the area is safe. It also means there is food and fewer predators. Females will also choose territories with strong male Podarcis hispanicus during breeding season for mating.
Male lizards often have territories with many females. Male lizards do not prefer new females. This is because it means they would have to leave their territory. Male Podarcis hispanicus have more babies by mating with females already in their territory.
It is also risky for an intruder male to enter another male's territory to find a mate. An intruder male Podarcis hispanicus might still go into a taken territory to challenge the dominant male. This happens if the intruder is stronger and bigger. In general, intruder males also prefer familiar females over new ones. For intruders, the risk of fighting often outweighs the benefit of just one mating.
Podarcis hispanicus lay eggs.
Conservation Status
The Iberian wall lizard lives in many places. It is common in most of these areas. Scientists believe there are many of these lizards in total. They can also adapt to changes in their habitat. They do not face any major threats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that this lizard is of "least concern". This means it is not currently in danger.
How They Interact with Humans
The places where Podarcis hispanicus live are changing because of more human activity. The lizard's exploring behavior might help them survive. Learning more about their habitat helps them with competing and avoiding predators. Lizards that explore more will get used to changes in their environment faster.
Lizards that live in cities tend to hide for less time after a predator attack. They also hide for a shorter time than lizards in the countryside. More contact with humans changes how wary lizards are of predators.
Lizards also change how they assess risk based on their environment and how many predators are around. A similar lizard, Podarcis muralis, has been studied. It showed that they have gotten used to humans. This means they no longer see humans as predators. This suggests that cities are changing lizard habitats. But these lizards are also slowly adapting to these changes.
See also
- Italian wall lizard, a related species
