Lizards of the desert. Eared round head

Eared round head is a resident of the desert, and this lizard got its name because of two large leather folds located in the corners of the mouth. They resemble large ears with a fringed fringe at the edges.

Appearance

Eared round head (photo above) is the largest representative of the genus of the round head. The length of her body reaches 12 cm, and the tail - 15 cm. Her head, trunk and tail are flattened. In the corners of the mouth, as already mentioned, there is a large fold of the skin (ears). Its free edge is seated with long conical scales. The back of the head is also strewn with scales. And in general the whole body of this reptile is covered with scales: on top it is keeled, ribbed, on the sides is smaller, on the neck conical, and throat - with slightly noticeable ribs and small tip.

Coloring

Usually desert lizards have sand coloration, which helps them to hide from their enemies. The roundhead is not an exception: its body is most often of sand color with a yellowish or flesh-pink tinge; The sides are brighter than the back. Head and trunk is decorated with camouflage coloring, which is an incorrectly outlined dark lines. They form a complex mosaic of ovals, circles and specks. The underside of the lizard is milky white. On the chest is a black speck (in females it is less bright than in males). On the throat can be a dark marble pattern. The end of the tail is coal black.

Spread

Their distribution is entirely determined by the presence of large tracts of mobile sands, but the habitat is limited to the desert and semi-desert zones in the eastern Ciscaucasia (including the foothill Dagestan, the eastern part of Chechnya and Kalmykia). There are lizards we are considering also in the south of the Astrakhan region, in Central Asia, in Kazakhstan, northwestern China, Afghanistan and Iran.

Habitat

The eared round head is a typical inhabitant of various kinds of loosely fixed and barkhan sands with a rare herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. She settles on the tops of sandy mounds and on the roadside, where she creates isolated settlements. The number of these reptiles is subject to sharp fluctuations, it significantly increases with the withdrawal of young animals. So, in the southern part of the Karakum on the route of two kilometers, only 18 individuals were recorded, and 98 individuals were found in Dagestan, near the barkhana of Sary-Kum, on a route of one and a half thousand meters. This is considered the record density of settlement of this species of lizards.

Activity

Eared round head appears after wintering in late March - early April. In the period of warm winters that occur in Central Asia, some individuals show activity at the end of February. In the summer, lizards of the desert (photos offered to your attention, will help to get an idea of this reptile) in the afternoon they hide from the hot sun, appearing only in the morning and evening hours. In early October, these creatures arrange a wintering refuge for themselves. To do this, they find interbarhan lowlands and dig in them straight holes up to 90 cm long, which end in small extensions in a layer of moist sand. In the summer, the young hides hide in the mink, and adults in the bad weather, at night or in case of danger, burrow into the sand with rapid vibrational movements of the trunk. In this case, the big-eared roundhead as it moves apart the sand, which is picked up by scales on its sides and falls on its back, covering the lizard.

This species of desert dwellers is very famous for its characteristic frightening posture. The lizard spreads and spreads its hind legs widely, lifts the anterior part of the body and opens its mouth wide, while the mucous membrane and the skin folds that have spread in the corners of the mouth become bright red. The round head at this produces a hissing sound, quickly twists and straightens the tail and jumps in the direction of the enemy. Lizards are very aggressive, and not only in the case of protection of the territory or in the mating season, but also at other times. This behavior is characteristic of individuals of different ages and genders.

Reproduction

Mating in the round-headed eared-for ears lasts from the end of April and until the beginning of July. The first eggs are laid from the middle of May to the end of June, the second laying of eggs takes place at the end of July. The female lays 2 to 6 eggs. Young growths occur between late July and mid-August. The size of the kids is 30-40 mm. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life. Young animals usually settle in colonies, and adults prefer individual plots.

What do lizards eat in the desert?

The basis of their diet is composed of various insects. Most often these are beetles, ants, bugs, orthopterans, dipterans, butterflies and spiders. Adult individuals can eat flowers of desert plants.

Lizards of the Desert

The eared round head is not the only species of reptiles that inhabit the deserts of our planet. In brief, we will examine some species of lizards that live in these difficult natural conditions.

1. Round head is sandy. These lizards reach 80 mm in length (along with the tail). They have a sandy-yellow color with a dense pattern of light and dark dots and spots. The sand-headed head feed on ants, termites, caterpillars, beetles, butterflies, which are often caught on the fly, bouncing into the air.

2. Round head takyr. It differs from other species in the form of a head. In length this lizard reaches 12 cm. The color is dark gray or brownish-gray. The basis of the diet of these reptiles are insects and small invertebrates.

3. The deserted iguana. The length of their body is 17-40 cm. The color may vary, but brown and gray colors predominate. The iguana diet consists exclusively of plant food, it can be both the seeds and fruits of plants, and their stems.

4. Varan. This is the largest lizard in the world, its length reaches 1.5 meters, and weight - 3.5 kg. In the color of this reptile, predominantly gray tones predominate. It feeds on varan rodents, snakes and insects.

5. Moloch. The length of the body of this lizard reaches 22 cm. The coloration is brownish-yellow with dark spots. However, moloch can change color depending on temperature, illumination or physiological condition. It feeds exclusively by foraging ants, which it catches with the help of a sticky tongue.