Every year on August 14, wildlife lovers celebrate World Lizard Day. The exact source of this date is unknown. It is only known that this holiday was founded by a group of enthusiastic scientists and amateur herpetologists.

The purpose of the holiday is to change the negative public opinion about these animals.

Lizards (Lacertilia) are one of the most numerous terrestrial vertebrates. Most of them lead a terrestrial lifestyle, some live in the soil, sand, on trees, rocks, near the surf line. They have the most diverse, most amazing shapes, sizes and skin colors. Among the lizards, there are such giants as the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the length of which reaches 3 meters, and the weight is 135 kg.

Geckos are the smallest lizards on Earth. In particular, round-toed geckos (Sphaerodactylus) are 3.5-4 cm long. The American naturalist D. Klingel discovered a round-toed gecko (Sphaerodactylus) on the island of Inagua (Bahamian archipelago) of such a size that it could easily fit inside a ring removed from a finger. The European leaf-toed gecko (Euleptes europaea) is also small in size – only 7 cm.

The vast majority of lizards are predators that feed on any prey they can catch. Large species feed on vertebrates, including mammals, birds, snakes and smaller species of lizards, snail lovers are also known. Insectivorous lizards play an important role as exterminators of agricultural pests. Many species can diversify their diet with fruits and juicy greens, but there are not so many true vegetarians.

Currently, more than 6300 species of lizards are known! Today it is a thriving group of animals. But due to human activity, most species are becoming rare, and many are threatened with extinction.

The collection of lizards of Mykolaiv Zoo includes 20 species. Of them, 3 species reproduce, we regularly receive offspring.

Recently, a new species of knob-headed giant gecko (Platydactylus auriculatus) arrived at our zoo.

In honor of today's holiday, we invite you to view photos of lizards from our zoo!