What are the life stages of a lizard?
Quick Answer
Lizards pass through three different life stages, beginning as eggs, hatching into juveniles and ultimately becoming mature adults. Most juveniles resemble miniature versions of the adults, while others experience a change in color or body proportions as they grow. Some lizards pass through all three life stages within the course of one year, while others live long lives, taking many years to hatch and mature into adults.
Continue Reading
Full Answer
There are a few exceptions to this pattern of life stages. Some lizards give birth to live lizards, but most of these still experienced an egg stage — it just occurred while they were still inside their mother's body. Such lizards are enclosed in flexible, membranous eggs, which often break as they pass through the mother's vent, instead of hard, calcified eggs. The young of one species develop inside their mother's body while being nourished by a placenta instead of an egg yolk.
Freshly hatched lizards must fend for themselves, as lizard parents do not provide any care to their young. Most young lizards consume insects and other invertebrates; however, as they mature, many species begin consuming increasing amounts of vegetation.
Some lizards, such as five-lined skinks, display different colors as they mature. This is thought to be an adaptation that seeks to maximize the lizards' crypsis as its body size changes.
Learn more about LizardsRelated Questions
-
Q:
Which animals eat lizards?
A: The lizard has a wide variety of predators, including birds, snakes and even other lizards. When being chased or attacked by predators, lizards may swell u... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What does the yellow spotted lizard eat?
A: The majority of the yellow spotted lizard's diet consists of ants, centipedes, flies, scorpions and spiders. The lizard typically waits for prey to come ne... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What are some facts about chameleons?
A: Chameleons are a type of lizard that live in the rain forests, savannas, semi-deserts and steppes of Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Spain and Portugal. These re... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How long do lizards live?
A: The average lifespan of a lizard usually runs between one and 30 years, with a median of 10 years. Because there are over 5,000 different species of lizard... Full Answer >Filed Under:
You May Also Like
-
Q:
Where can you find stages of change models for addiction?
-
Q:
When was the IRA life expectancy life table first used?
-
Q:
What are the later stages of lyme disease?
-
Q:
What is the life cycle of an earthworm?
-
Q:
What is the life cycle of a rose?
-
Q:
What do bedbugs look like at different stages of their life cycle?
