The Lizard In the Sand

Appearance

The sand lizard is usually a sandy brown color. They have dark spots on their sides that look like eyes. The spots are lighter in the middle and darker around the outside. Sand lizards have a heavy-built body. They have long tails. They are 1.5x longer than their bodies. This species of lizard can lose its tail if it gets caught in something. Male sand lizards are more built than females. Males also have larger heads with more prominent jaws. Males turn brighter green during mating seasons like the picture above. Sand lizards live a solitary life but sometimes you may see two on a rock. 

Diet

Sand lizards are carnivores. They prefer to eat grasshoppers, spiders, and insects such as flies and mosquitos. I am assuming they have long tongues to help catch their prey. Sand lizards can survive a long time without food. Males are known to eat their hatchlings and the hatchlings of the common lizard if they get hungry. 

Habitat

Sand lizards live in dry heathlands (desert-like habitats) which are adaptable to many living things. The Surrey subspecies must have gravel or sand-like surface to thrive. The Dorset subspecies live on cliff-top meadows. Sand lizards prefer to live in areas with slopes. Sand lizards need a place that has soft soil so they can make their burrows. They dig their burrow about fifteen inches deep. They hunt for their prey in grassy areas.

Reproduction

Female lizards choose who they want to mate with. Females will mate with several males from March to April but they only lay eggs once a year. If the female chooses a mate that is more distantly related then she will lay more eggs. Eggs will stay in their nest for about three to four months before they hatch, around August or September. Some nests are in sandy areas near marram grass to keep the eggs warm. Hatchlings must defend themselves when they hatch, their mother leaves and doesn't return after laying her eggs. The hatchlings reach adulthood in about two years. The lifespan for a sand lizard is about 10 years but in captivity, they live up to 20 years. 

Thank you for reading this interesting article. I hope that you learned a lot about a really cool lizard, the sand lizard. I hope I can share information to the world one day and I can help protect animals. If you want me to research an animal that you want please write them in the comments. Go to my youtube channel to see lots more about different animals.

The Informative Zoologist