The species diversity of lizards is of considerable interest. In total there are more than four thousand varieties of these ancient animals. Lizards are known to be the ancestors of snakes. There are even legless representatives, very similar to their reptiles, but not poisonous. These include the spindle, which is so weakly reminiscent of a lizard that people often take it for a snake and get scared.
Almost all existing species of lizards can throw their tail in case of danger. Such a maneuver does not work against most animals and birds, so people have long wondered why these reptiles have such a strange feature. Recent studies have shown that most often, tail-lizards are seen in areas with a large number of snakes. From this, scientists concluded that the ability to cast tail developed in lizards specifically for protection against reptiles. The fact is that a snake most often bites its prey for the place it manages to reach. In the case of brisk lizards, this place, of course, is the tail. By dropping it, the animal prevents the further spread of poison in its body.
According to the lifestyle of all lizards can be divided into several groups. These are reptiles that eat plant foods, carnivores and those who are able to digest any type of food - omnivorous species. When feeding, these features should be considered. After all, a pet, which by its nature is a predator, is unlikely to be happy with lettuce leaves. Conversely, predators require prey, not fruits and vegetables. The problem here is that often what lizards eat in nature is different from the food that the host can offer her. This statement is especially true for exotic species of animals.
What do lizards eat in nature?
Most lizards are predators. At the same time, a considerable part of them are capable of absorbing combined food. This ability has evolved in these reptiles during evolution to increase the chance of survival. Far fewer among the lizards are exclusively herbivorous. In nature, small and medium-sized species prefer to eat invertebrate animals. Larger species of lizards feed on the corresponding prey: birds and fish, amphibians, including their own kind, non-toxic snakes and even mammals. The largest species are the lizards from the island of Komodo. It is terrible to imagine what lizards of this size eat: it is believed that they can attack even pigs and buffaloes.
Small ones eat various insects, spiders, centipedes and worms. Species that live near the water feed on mollusks. Also, lizards can be considered garden nurses no worse than birds, because they destroy a huge number of pests: harmful beetles (hungry lizards can even eat the Colorado beetle, which most animals bypass, considering inedible), flies, bear, butterflies (including "cabbage" ") and their larvae. Among others, these reptiles destroy carriers of dangerous diseases, and the latter can make up almost one hundred percent of their diet, depending on the habitat of the lizard. To eat, this animal species needs a lot of food - to the delight of the gardener.
A little apart from their relatives is the aforementioned spindle. Unlike other relatives, her teeth are sharply pointed and bent back, which allows grabbing and holding in the mouth a very slippery prey. What does a lizard with such teeth eat? Due to this unusual structure of the jaws, the spindle can feed on slugs, worms, wood lice and the like creatures, as well as the larvae of these insects.
What do lizards eat at home?
Herbivorous
The main food for such lizards should be fruit and vegetable mixtures. The technique of their preparation is approximately the same as for domestic land turtles. Before serving the pet, fruits and vegetables must be washed in warm (but not hot!) Water. Of course, if you care about the health of your pet, then you should not feed him grass that has grown somewhere on the side of the road or near industrial areas. There, harmful chemicals could enter the plants, and lizards are very sensitive to such things. It will be much better if the owner preoccupies a variety of foods for his ward. This will allow the lizard to receive all the useful vitamins and minerals in the right amount. At the same time, a heterogeneous diet will save her from hypervitaminosis, which can develop if the reptile is constantly fed with only one type of food.
Predatory
The nutrition of the carnivorous lizard depends primarily on its size. It does not fit to take into account what lizards of this species eat in the wild. Great success if her diet can be made as similar to natural as possible. After all, the animal’s body has for centuries adapted to a certain type of food. The smallest species or young growth will go to feed Drosophila flies. Larger lizards can be given caught crickets and grasshoppers, cockroaches, bought in a bloodworm store. In pet stores there is an opportunity to purchase some types of insects for feeding. For lack of live prey, finely chopped fish and eggs can be added to the pet's diet. It is not recommended to give meat, therefore, such feeding should be resorted to only as a last resort, if there is nothing else. The largest representatives are usually given small mammals: rats or mice, which can also be purchased at the pet store.