Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 6,000 species.Sight is very important for most lizards, both for locating prey and for communication, and, as such, many lizards have highly acute color vision. Most lizards rely heavily on body language, using specific postures, gestures, and movements to define territory, resolve disputes, and entice mates. Some species of lizards also use bright colors, such as the iridescent patches on the belly of Sceloporus. These colors would be highly visible to predators, so are often hidden on the underside or between scales and only revealed when necessary.Lizard tails are often a different and dramatically more vivid color than the rest of the body so as to encourage potential predators to strike for the tail first.
Many lizard species (including geckos, skinks, and others) are capable of shedding part of their tails through a process called autotomy. This is an example of the pars pro toto principle, sacrificing “a part for the whole”, and is employed by lizards to allow them to escape when captured by the tail by a predator. The detached tail writhes and wiggles, creating a deceptive sense of continued struggle, distracting the predator’s attention from the fleeing prey animal.
The lizard will partially regenerate its tail over a period of weeks. A 2014 research identified 326 genes involved in the regeneration of lizard tails. The new section will contain cartilage rather than bone, and the skin may be distinctly discolored compared to the rest of the body.
A daredevil lizard was filmed clinging to a driver’s windshield and managing not to fly off when the vehicle went over 80 mph on a Texas highway. lizard clinging to the car’s windshield as it travels at high speeds on a highway in Austin.
“My friend was driving 80-90 miles an hour and this lizard was a real trooper,” the uploader wrote in the video’s description.
The uploader said on Reddit that the story had a happy ending for the lizard when the car got off on the next exit and the small creature left its perch.
