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Night lizards ( family name Xantusiidae) are a group of very small, viviparous (live-bearing) lizards, averaging from less than 4 cm to over 12 cm long. It has only three genera, with approximately 23 living species. The genera are divided by geographic range: Xantusia in southwestern North America and Baja California, Cricosaura in CubaAlternate meanings: see Cuba (disambiguation The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean, in between the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north are found the United States and the Bahamas, to the west M, and LepidophymaTropical night lizards : Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Squamata : Sauria : Xantusiidae : Lepidophyma Tropical night lizards ( genus Lepidophyma Greek for "warty scales,") compose one of three genera of night lizards ( family Xantusiidae , which are a g, the most populous night lizard genus, in Central AmericaCentral America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. Some geographers classify Central America as a large isthmus, and in this geographic sense it sometimes in.
Night lizards were originally mistaken to be nocturnal because of their secretive lifestyle, but they are in fact strictly diurnalThe term diurnal means active in the daytime. This definition is often related to animals or plants. The opposite of the nocturnal or crepuscular. Diurnal means daily, especially pertaining to actions which are completed in 24 hours and are repeated every. Physically, night lizards are characterized by relatively flat bodies and heads. Their heads are covered by large, smooth plates, while their bodies have rougher, granular skin. Their eyes, like those of snakes, are covered by immoveable, transparent membranes that function as eyelids. They feed on insectsAny organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore . Although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers and make up a very large part of the animal biomass in almost all non-marine environme and sometimes plantsIn zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plants (rather than meat). Thus, while humans may choose not to eat meat, such individuals are vegetarians, not herbivores. A true herbivore, such as a cow, is unable to chew or digest.
Contrary to the reproductive strategies of most small lizards, night lizards tend to have very low reproductive rates, with several species giving birth to only one or two offspring. They generally take several years to reach sexual maturity. However, the very limited lifestyle of night lizards has contributed to a high life expectancy. Night lizards have evolved to live in very narrow environmental niches—"microhabitat specialization"—such as rock crevices or damp logs, and may spend their entire life under the same cover.
Classification
Family Xantusiidae
- Subfamily Cricosaurinae
- Subfamily Xantusiinae
Lizards
Night lizards
