Lizards are slippery animals, agile and very common all over the world. Despite their small size and how defenseless they may seem, the truth is that they are excellent hunters, but they are also preyed upon by many other animals, such as cats and birds.
Have you ever wondered what lizards eat? You will surely be surprised! Discover some types of lizards and what they feed on in the following article on our site.
Types of lizards
The first thing you need to know is that there are different species of lizards. They have been classified according to their characteristics, such as size, color or where they live, among others. Do you want to know some of the most common ? Here we present them to you and we will tell you where the lizards live!
Red-tailed Lizard
The red-tailed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) is a lizard that measures between 20 and 25 centimeters in length. As its name suggests, it is characterized by its intense red tail, the rest of the body, on the other hand, is brown with white lines.
This type of lizard lives in sandy soils with little vegetation.
Ashy Lizard
The gray lizard (Psammodromus hispanicus) is very small, only reaching 5 centimeters long. However, females can be slightly larger. They are also characterized by having a flattened and pointed head.
The body of the gray lizard is covered with gray scales with yellow stripes on the back. This species prefers to inhabit low bushes, grassy areas and rocky places.
Night lizard
The night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum) is a specimen that reaches up to 13 centimeters in length. It is mainly characterized by its black body accompanied by yellow dots that are distributed from its head to the tip of its tail.
A curious fact about this species is that the females have the ability to reproduce without being fertilized by a male, thus perpetuating the species in adverse conditions. This reproductive ability is known as parthenogenesis.
How to take care of a lizard?
Now, if you have a companion lizard, you must give it care and attention so that it feels comfortable and stays he althy. The first thing you have to take into account is that lizards are very small animals, which makes them very delicate beings To keep them at home, we recommend that you adopt a lizard in a suitable center, since if you take them directly from nature they can die in a few days, since they do not adapt easily to changes.
Once you have your little lizard, you need to provide it with a good place to live. You can build her a terrarium big enough so that she feels comfortable and can move around easily. Get a large fish tank or tank and add branches, rocks, soil and water to mimic its natural habitat.
When the terrarium is ready, keep in mind that you should place it near a window so that it receives natural light and shade.
If you want to keep the lizard free, you can also leave it in the garden of your house so that it can develop independently and find food on your own. However, keep in mind that this poses a risk of it escaping or another animal attacking it.
What do lizards eat?
Now that you know the basic care you should have with the lizard, it's time to know how they feed and what they eat when they are free.
First of all, the diet of lizards depends on their size and their ability to hunt their prey. In this sense, lizards are insectivorous, so they feed essentially on insects, and here is a complete list of the main ones:
- Flies
- Spiders
- Crickets
- Termites
- Ants
- Cockroaches
- Grasshopper
- Beetles
Without a doubt, Ants are the favorite food of lizards. Likewise, they can also eat worms and, on some occasions, snails. As you can see, these are animals that can be found in any garden and even in some houses and apartments, which is why it is so common to find them lurking in corners and corners.
It is also important to note that lizards do not feed on dead insects, so if you plan to keep one as a pet, you should provide their live foodNow that you know what lizards eat.
How does the lizard eat?
As we mentioned in the previous section, lizards feed on other live animals, so if you live with one, it is not recommended to offer them dead food. On the other hand, they are predators, this means that they hunt their prey This feeding process not only serves to keep them active and encourage their instincts, but also allows you to maintain an optimal weight and avoid obesity.
A very simple way to tell if a lizard is obese is by looking at its abdominal area. If his abdomen is so swollen that it even touches the ground when walking, it means that we should reduce his daily food ration. This ration must be calculated based on the size of the lizard.
With all of the above said, and knowing what lizards eat and how they eat, it's guaranteed that yours will be able to hunt down their prey. In this sense, it should be noted that they have a predilection for those s insects that can fly.
What do baby lizards eat?
Baby lizards feed on the same things as adults, that is, insects. However, their diet varies a bit in terms of portion size, since they eat it according to their size. That is why, to feed a baby lizard, the prey must be smaller, otherwise they will not be able to eat and it is very likely that they will choke. In this sense, feeding one at home could mean offering it a legless cricket, a fact that should be kept in mind before deciding to adopt an animal like this.
It is also important to point out that you should never give him fruits or vegetables,because not only does he not like them, but they can also be harmful to the body of these reptiles.
And if after knowing all this information about the feeding of small and large lizards you want to discover more curious facts about other reptiles, don't miss these articles:
- The most dangerous reptiles in the world
- What do iguanas eat?
