| Ocellated lizard | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Genus: | Timon |
| Species: | T. lepidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) | |
| Subspecies | |
T. l. ibericus (López-Seoane, 1884) Contents | |
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| Synonyms [2] | |
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The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (Timon lepidus) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is endemic to southwestern Europe.
Additional common names for T. lepidus include eyed lizard, and jeweled lacerta (in the pet trade).
Timon lepidus is one of the largest members of its family. The adult is 30 to 60 cm (0.98 to 1.97 ft) in total length (including tail) and may reach up to 90 cm (3.0 ft), weighing more than 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). [3] About two-thirds of its length is tail. Newly hatched young are 4 to 5 cm (1.5 to 2 in) long, excluding tail.
This is a robust lizard with a serrated collar. The male has a characteristic broad head. It has thick, strong legs, with long, curved claws. The dorsal background colour is usually green, but sometimes grey or brownish, especially on the head and tail. This is overlaid with black stippling that may form a bold pattern of interconnected rosettes. The underside is yellowish or greenish with both the male and female sporting bright blue spots along the flanks, though the male is typically brighter in colour than the female. Young are green, grey, or brown, with yellowish or white, often black-edged, spots all over.
Timon lepidus is native to southwestern Europe. It is found throughout the Iberian peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar), and is patchily distributed in southern France and extreme northwestern Italy. It is also found in northwest Tunisia, within the forests of Ain Soltane and El Feija in Ghardimaou, Jendouba. The range for each subspecies is:
Timon lepidus is found in various wild and cultivated habitats from sea level up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in southern Spain. It is rare at higher altitudes. It prefers dry, bushy areas, such as open woodland and scrub, old olive groves and vineyards, and is sometimes found on more open, rocky or sandy areas. It can occasionally be seen basking on roadsides. The lizard usually stays on the ground, but climbs well on rocks and in trees. It can dig holes and sometimes uses abandoned rabbit burrows.
Timon lepidus feeds mainly on large insects, especially beetles, spiders, and snails, and also robs birds’ nests for eggs and nestlings and occasionally takes reptiles (other lizards and small snakes), frogs, and small mammals. [4] [5] It also eats fruit (such as berries) and other plant matter, especially in dry areas. [6]
Breeding in T. lepidus occurs in late spring or early summer. Males are territorial in spring and fight in the breeding season. The female lays up to 22 eggs in June and July about three months after mating, hiding them under stones and logs or in leaf litter or in loose damp soil. It tends to lay fewer, larger eggs in dry areas. The eggs hatch in eight to 14 weeks. The lizard is sexually mature at two years of age.
As of 2024 [update] , Timon lepidus is listed as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [1] As of 2011 [update] the species has been under protection in Spain; capture and trade is forbidden. [7]
Agama is a genus of small-to-moderate-sized, long-tailed, insectivorous Old World lizards. The genus Agama includes at least 37 species in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where most regions are home to at least one species. Eurasian agamids are largely assigned to genus Laudakia. The various species differ in size, ranging from about 12 to 30 centimetres in length, when fully grown.
The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found in Europe.
Lacerta is a genus of lizards of the family Lacertidae.
Takydromus is a genus of lizards, commonly called grass lizards or oriental racers. Species of the genus Takydromus are endemic to a large part of Asia. Members of this genus are noticeable because of their slender appearance and their agile movements. The word takydromus derives from Greek ταχυδρόμος (takhudromos), "fast-running", from ταχύς (takhus), "swift" + δρόμος (dromos), "course, race".
Timon is a genus of wall lizards in the family Lacertidae.
François Marie Daudin was a French zoologist.
Takydromus sexlineatus, the Asian grass lizard, six-striped long-tailed grass lizard, or long-tailed grass lizard, is an arboreal, diurnal species of lizard. The tail length is usually over three times the body length in this species.
Timon pater, the North African ocellated lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae, the wall lizards. The species is endemic to Northwest Africa.
Timon princeps, commonly called the Siirt lizard or the Zagrosian lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Western Asia.
The Madeiran wall lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is the only species in the genus Teira. The species is endemic to the Madeira Archipelago, Portugal. In the Azores, this lizard has become naturalized after involuntary introduction by the shipping trade between the two archipelagos. There are four recognized subspecies. The species is both endemic and common, ranging from sea coasts to altitudes of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft). It is usually found in rocky places or among scrub and may climb into trees. It is also found in gardens and on walls. It feeds on vegetable matter and small invertebrates such as ants. The tail is easily shed and the stump regenerates slowly. The colouring is variable and tends to match the surroundings, typically a shade of brown or grey with occasionally a greenish tinge. Most animals are finely flecked with darker markings. The underparts are white or cream, sometimes with dark spots, with some males having orange or red underparts and blue throats, but these bright colours may fade if the animal is disturbed. The Madeiran wall lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length of about 8 cm (3.1 in) with a tail about 1.7 times the length of its body. Females lay two to three clutches of eggs in a year with the juveniles being about 3 cm (1.2 in) when they hatch.
The blue-throated keeled lizard, or Dalmatian algyroides, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.
The Atlas dwarf lizard, commonly known as Andreansky's lizard, is the only species in the genus Atlantolacerta, in the wall lizard family, Lacertidae. The species is indigenous to north-western Africa.
The western green lizard is a lizard of the family Lacertidae.
The Iberian emerald lizard, also known commonly as Schreiber's green lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
Timon tangitanus, commonly known as the Moroccan eyed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Northwest Africa.
Bosc's fringe-toed lizard or Bosk's [sic] fringe-fingered lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to North Africa and Western Asia. Three subspecies are sometimes recognised; A. boskianus boskianus, from Lower Egypt; A. boskianus euphraticus from Iraq; and A. boskianus asper from the rest of the range; however this division is unsatisfactory because each subspecies has much variation and the differences between them are not consistent.
Pedioplanis lineoocellata, known commonly as the common sand lizard, the ocellated sand lizard, and the spotted sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Southern Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.
Omanosaura jayakari, also known commonly as the Jayakar lizard, Jayakar's lizard, and Jayakar's Oman lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Kentropyx striata, known commonly as the striped whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to northern South America.
