Jagjeevan Kahlon
November 20, 2012
Alan Reid
Student #: 300109418
Class: AB-6
How a venomous lizard does not die if it bites its own tongue?
Gila Monster ; retrieved from: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=gila+monster+lizard&um.com/
Gila Monster ; retrieved from: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=gila+monster+lizard&um.com/ Lizards belong to the class Reptilian, Scientists have said that reptiles have been on earth for about 200 hundred million years. Lizards are the largest group of reptiles with more than 4300 species around the world. Lizards are found in sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world. Lizards come in different shapes and sizes. Most of the lizards are quite small have four legs and have a fragile tail that can regenerate when part of it is gone. They look similar to salamanders. Lizards are ectoderms meaning they cold blooded, meaning they depend on outside sources like the sun, to raise and maintain their body temperatures. Eating habits for lizards is very different, it depends on the species. Some lizards feed on iguanas which are insects, some eat rodents, and some eat both rodents and insects. Lizards use their teeth to scare predators off as protection. Very few lizards happen to be poisonous and use their venom as a defence. Other species of lizards rely on camouflage such as the chameleon that is able to change its colour according to its surroundings, as a defensive strategy. Females of most lizard species lay eggs and then are usually left to hatch on their own. The most well-known venomous lizards are the Gila monster and he Mexican Beaded Lizard. They are found in Mexico and south west of United States. These lizards are classified in the Family Helodermatidae which has one genus containing only these two species. Both of these lizards have been known as the only venomous lizards for a long time. But more recently discoveries have been made that there are more