The Lizards of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Glass lizard

The glass lizards are a species of lizard that resemble snakes because most of them lack legs. You can tell them apart from snakes because of their lizard head, visible eyelids, and external ear openings. Some species of glass lizards have very small stub-like legs reduced to that size because of evolution. Those stubs are also called vestigial organs, meaning that the lizard can no longer use them.

Some people even know them as jointed snakes. These lizards can reach lengths of up to 4 feet or 1.2 meters but two thirds of their whole body length is their long tail.

They feed on insects, arachnids, smaller reptiles, and young rodents. Unlike snakes, they cannot unhinge their jaw so they cannot swallow bigger prey items. Most of the glass lizard species lay eggs but some of them give birth to live young.

Answer: Bearded dragon

The bearded dragon is a species of lizard coming from most parts of Australia. They are frequently kept as pets and displayed in zoos because of their calm nature. Although calm as pets, in the wild these lizards are very aggressive. When threatened, the dragon puffs out its whole body, including the "beard", turns completely black, and opens its hissing mouth to show the yellow color, hoping to scare away the predator. If that doesn't work, the dragon will either try to run away as fast as possible or try to bite the attacker with its small but sharp teeth. Bearded dragons are skilled climbers, and often spend their time resting or basking on tree stumps and fence posts.

Answer: Leopard gecko

The leopard gecko is a crepuscular (active at twilight hours) ground-dwelling lizard coming from Afghanistan and parts of northern India. Most people know geckos as wall climbers but the leopard gecko stays on the ground because their feet aren't specialised for climbing.

The leopard gecko is also very popular as a pet because of how easy it is to care for one. These lizards are fully insectivorous, meaning that they only eat insects and they would become sick if given a vegetable. Leopard geckos in the wild are found in much duller colours than the ones found in captivity.

Their color camouflages them from any predators during the night. They sleep through the day.

Answer: False

Most of this is false (except the vegetarian part). Green iguanas can bite and not let go and they can give you a nasty tail whip with their massively long tail. And it hurts. They need a very big cage with heat bulbs or they can live in a big room that's all to themselves. Not all green iguanas are aggressive though.

Answer: They are mostly ground dwellers, found under fallen trees and rocks

These green geckos are popular in the pet industry, probably because of their beautiful green color. In the wild, day geckos hunt for any insects that they can fit in their mouths. They will also eat fruit when they can find it.

They are diurnal lizards, awake for the day and sleeping in the treetops at night.

Their green color is very useful as a defense against predators, as they live in places with dense, green foliage.

The day gecko is not a ground dwelling lizard. They come down to earth very rarely, for fear of being eaten by something lurking.

Answer: Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon is the biggest lizard living in modern times. They can hunt buffalos and humans when in groups but they prefer to eat smaller animals. Sometimes, they will eat carrion (already-dead animals). Komodo dragons are found in the wild only on five islands: the Lesser Sunda Islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Montang and Gili Dasami, and the island of Flores, where the Komodo roams freely.

Answer: Carolina anole

The Carolina anole (green anole) is a small green lizard living in the southeastern part of the USA (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida). This lizard can change color from green to brown. The males have a beautiful dewlap that they show off to females and potential predators.

Answer: Banded iguana

The banded iguana, also known as the Fiji island iguana, is a medium sized iguana that lives on the Fiji islands. This lizard is also diurnal and a herbivore. They are very rare in the pet trade and are listed as an endangered species, due to habitat loss and introduced mammals which prey on their eggs.

Answer: Yemen chameleon

The Yemen chameleon, more commonly called the veiled chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They are primarily insectivores, sometimes eating fruit. Females usually get to live until they are five, but males live longer, reaching eight years. Like all chameleons, their feet are zygodactylous, two toes pointing to the front and two at the back.

These feet help with climbing.

Answer: False

These lizards, usually dangerous because of their size, reach up to two meters long. Their tails are long and whip like and they use them to hit potential predators.

They live in Africa, making it the continent's longest and most powerful lizard.