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Lizards Lizards can be found in most warm parts of the world, so it is not at all surprising that some are living in the deserts. Some dart across the desert floor, while some wander around slowly. Some are camouflaged and are hard to spot, while others are brightly coloured to warn off predators. Most of them are active in the day, but there are a few nocturnal ones. So, there are all sorts of different lizards in the desert! Desert lizards usually have camouflaged coats of scales to protect them. They have long legs to lift up the body so it won't touch the hot sand. As they are cold-blooded animals, lizards like to bask on rocks in the morning to warm up. At noon, when it is extremely hot, they find some shade or hide in burrows. When they are threatened, they usually run away, but some prefer to bite the attacker. Collared Lizard
[ Collared Lizards ] This strange lizard of southern USA is extremely eye-catching. It is brightly coloured with yellow and turquoise stripes all over its body. There is a distinctive black and white neckband, giving it its name. It eats insects, smaller lizards, mice and even small snakes! It can even jump in the air and catch a flying insect! It has sharp claws for holding on to rocks. Collared lizards can bite, but they are very timid and usually prefers to run away from the predator. Horned Toad Don't you be fooled by this animal's name! Although it is called a horned toad, it is actually a lizard. Found in the North American deserts, This lizard has a remarkable ability to change colour according to its body heat. Before dawn, its colours are dark and it crawls out on to a rock and waits for the sun to rise. When the sun rises, it dark colours absorb the heat quickly and it gets warmer. As it gets warmer and warmer, its colours also get lighter. This can help it reflect the heat and it can stay for a longer time in the sun. It's quite amazing, isn't it? The horned toad just sits in the open eating ants! Its light colours blend superbly with the surroundings and it is hard to spot. To make it even harder, horned toads lower themselves close to the ground so there won't be any tell-tale shadows! DID YOU KNOW? Horned toads will squirt blood out of their eyes when they are attacked. It's just horribly disgusting! Frilled Neck Lizards These lizards from the semi-deserts of Australia sure remind me of one type of dinosaur (Diphlosaurus)! The frilled neck lizard has a large frill that it spreads out when it is angry or threatened. This makes it look bigger and more scary and it scares the predators away. In the sandy deserts, the sand dunes are especially dangerous. Sometimes the sand is so loosely packed together the animals just sink into the sand when they're walking! Two types of lizards have developed a special way to deal with this problem.
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