The striped monitor lizard is a large lizard from Southeast Asia.
Suborder: Lacertilia Owen = Lizards
Family: Lacertidae Fitzinger, 1826 = True lizards, Lacertids
Species: Lacerta trilineata \u003d Three-lip (three-line) lizard
Trilinear (trilinear) lizard (Lacerta trilineata) according to appearance and coloring is very similar to green, differing from it in a larger size (reaches 40 cm or more in length). In adult males of this species, during the breeding season, the sides of the head, throat, and sometimes also the edges of the body at the border with the belly acquire an intense bluish-blue color, while the body becomes emerald green. 
In females, at the same time, the neck becomes light blue. Of several subspecies distributed on the Balkan Peninsula, some islands mediterranean sea and in Western Asia, in the Caucasus, the middle lizard (Lacerta trilineata media) lives. Its distribution area covers almost all of Eastern Transcaucasia, Southeastern Dagestan, isolated sections of the Black Sea coast in Abkhazia and Krasnodar Territory, as well as Asia Minor, Northern Iraq and Northwestern Iran. She lives in dry juniper-pistachio woodlands, sparse oak forests, on steep rocky slopes overgrown with shrubs and in open areas of mountain steppes. It excellently climbs trees, in case of danger it easily jumps from a height of 2-3 m, which is especially characteristic of large males with strong limbs, which can also make large jumps from stone to stone.
Mating occurs in April - early May. The male pursues the female running away from him for a long time until she lies on her belly on the ground and, raising both front legs, begins to quickly swing them in the air, simultaneously opening and closing her mouth. The first clutch, consisting of 9-18 eggs, is observed in Southern Armenia already at the end of May. Repeatedly, in a slightly smaller number, the female lays eggs in July. During the season, large females lay up to 30 eggs. Young lizards 70-88 mm long appear from the end of July.
In many regions of Transcaucasia, the local population considers this large lizard to be very poisonous and fear it even more than some snakes.
In the eastern half of the Caucasus, southwestern Turkmenistan, as well as in Iran and neighboring regions of Iraq, the striped lizard (Lacerta strigata), which was previously mistakenly identified with the green one, is widespread. Young lizards of this species are brownish-olive above with 5 narrow light stripes along the back and sides. 
With age, the stripes are gradually lost against the general greenish-brown background, remaining especially long in females. Adult males are green above with numerous black speckles and spots, and the general green coloration is often expressed only in the anterior part of the body, while its posterior half remains dirty brown or brownish gray. During the breeding season, the entire head, throat, and sides of the neck of males usually become blue, and the overall green background becomes brighter. The striped lizard reaches 25 cm, noticeably inferior in size to the green and medium.
In contrast to the green and middle lizard, this lizard is relatively rare in forests, preferring areas with grassy, steppe or shrub vegetation, often in close proximity to water. In the southern regions of Armenia and Azerbaijan, striped lizards have two clutches per season of 5-9 eggs each. Young lizards 75-80 mm long appear in August.
Type Chordates - Chordata
Class Reptiles - Reptilia
detachment Scaly - squamata
Family True lizards are Lacertidae.
Genus: green lizards
View Striped lizard - Lacerta strigata Eichwald, 1831
Status. 3 "Rare" - 3, RD.
Global population endangered category on the IUCN Red List
Not included in the IUCN Red List.
Category according to IUCN Red List criteria
The regional population is categorized as Near Threatened, NT. B. S. Tuniev.
Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation
Do not belong.
Brief morphological description
The lizard is a striped large lizard reaching a body length of 112 mm. Adult individuals in the front third of the body are painted in dirty green tones with numerous dark spots, the back of the body and tail are dirty brown. On the body of ♂, numerous irregularly shaped black spots and specks are distinctly distinguished, which are absent on the head. IN mating season, the throat and sides of the neck acquire a deep blue color. The belly of ♂ is greenish or greenish-yellow, ♀ is usually white. Juveniles are brown with five light longitudinal stripes.
Spreading
The global range of the species covers Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Iran, and southwestern Turkmenistan. In the Russian Federation, it is found from KK in the west to Dagestan in the east. The regional range represents a small northwestern distribution center from the border of KK and KChR in the region of Pregradnaya north to Armavir and further east, southwest to the village. Mostovskoy. Isolated populations are known in the vicinity of the villages of Novokubanskaya and Tbilisi. Type area: Krasnovodsk (Turkmenistan).
Features of biology and ecology
Inhabits the steppe slopes of ravines and the soles of the Stavropol Upland. Occurs along fixed sands, shrub associations. From wintering, it appears in mid-March - early April and is active until October. In June lays 6–11 eggs up to 18 mm long. Young appear in August - September.
Numbers and trends
The striped lizard is a relatively numerous species. In the UK, the density reaches 460 individuals per 1 ha. In KK, in the vicinity of the village of Tbilisskaya, for a day trip, there were at least 20 individuals.
Limiting factors
Naturally rare view at the northwestern end of the range. The conservation of the species in KK, due to the limited number of habitats, depends on even short-term anthropogenic impacts.
Necessary and additional security measures
It is necessary to organize a number of micro-reserves or natural monuments in the habitats of viable populations of the species.
Information sources. 1. Anan'eva et al., 2004; 2. Bannikov et al., 1977; 3. Ostrovskikh, 1998b; 4. Plotnikov, 2000; 5. Unpublished data of compilers. Compiled by B. S. Tuniev, S. B. Tuniev.
Cited literature: , classification - https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki
Intermaxillary shield at striped lizard touches the nostril or, but less often (in 30-40% of cases), is separated from it by a very narrow bridge. Posterior nasal shields 2. Zygomatic - 2t rarely 3 or 1. Anterior infraorbital 4, 3 or 5 upper labials. Between the upper ciliary and supraorbital scutes there is usually an interrupted row of 2-11 granules (individuals without granules are extremely rare).
The central temporal and tympanic shields are almost always present. The collar, consisting of 7-13 scales, is serrated. Mandibular shields 5 pairs. The dorsal scales are elongated-hexagonal, ribbed. The ventral scutes are arranged in 6 longitudinal and 27-35 transverse rows. Anal scutellum of moderate size, in front of it is a semicircle of 7-10 preanal scutes, of which 2 middle ones are somewhat enlarged. The femoral pores reach the knee bend. The length of the foot of the hind leg is usually slightly longer than the length of the top of the head.
Young striped lizards are brownish-olive above with 5 narrow light longitudinal stripes, the middle of which starts from the occipital shield, 2 adjacent to it - from the posterior superior temporal, and 2 lateral - from the posterior edge of the ear openings. As the animal grows, dark brown or black spots and specks begin to appear between the stripes, distinctly expressed in adults.
In older individuals (aged 3 years or more), the light dorsal stripes are gradually lost against the general variegated background of the body, and in females they persist longer. In adults, the anterior third of the body is usually green; its back part, including legs and tail, is olive-brown. On the body of males, numerous irregularly shaped black spots and specks are clearly distinguished, which are absent on the head. During the breeding season, the head, throat and sides of the neck of males acquire a deep blue color. In females, the throat is usually greenish-yellow. The belly of males is greenish or greenish-yellow, females are usually white.
The striped lizard is widespread in the northeast of Asia Minor, the Caucasus, in Western, Central and Northeastern Iran and in the extreme southwest Central Asia. In the USSR, it occurs in the eastern half of the Caucasus, at least to the latitude of Armavir and Stavropol, in Dagestan, in Eastern Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and in southwestern Turkmenistan.
Adheres to areas covered with grassy, steppe, mountain-steppe or semi-desert vegetation, settling in various thickets along the banks of rivers and streams, on the outskirts of swamps and unflooded meadows, the edges of steppe forests and shelterbelts, embankments along canals and roads, in thorny fences along the outskirts vineyards and orchards. Along the river valleys in some places it penetrates into the forest zone. In the mountains it is known up to a height of 2500 m.
It finds refuge in rodent burrows, in heaps of stones, and also digs its own holes up to 50-70 cm long in soft soil. In case of danger, it often hides in the water and swims to safety. In the Stavropol Territory, the number reaches 460 individuals per 1 ha; in Eastern Georgia - up to 400 individuals per 1 ha; on the shore of the lake Sevan on the route of 1 km in May - June, 27-34 individuals were counted.
After wintering, the striped lizard appears in mid-March - mid-April. IN warm winters in Georgia active in February. Leaves for wintering in October - November. It feeds on beetles (from 20 to 60% of occurrence), spiders (12-30%), woodlice (up to 25%), molluscs (13-22%), locusts (13-25%), butterflies and caterpillars (9-33% ), ants (up to 26%), diptera (4-18%), bedbugs (up to 11%).
In Transcaucasia and, apparently, in Dagestan, the striped lizard has 2 clutches per season: in late May - early June and in late June - mid-July. The clutch contains 6-11 eggs measuring 8-10X15-18 mm. Young of the first litter 30-32 mm long (without a tail) appear in Transcaucasia in late July - early August, the second litter - in mid-September. Maturity occurs, apparently, at the age of 2 years.
Literature: Key to amphibians and reptiles of the fauna of the USSR. Proc. allowance for students of biol. specialties ped. in-comrade. M., "Enlightenment", 1977. 415 p. from ill.; 16 l. ill.
Lacerta strigata
(Lacerta strigata)
Class - reptiles
Squad - scaly
Family - real lizards
Genus - green lizards
Appearance
A lizard of a larger size than the agile lizard, with a relatively longer tail. The total body length sometimes exceeds 25 cm, while the tail can be twice as long as the body.
In the striped lizard, the color and pattern change with age. Young lizards are brownish-olive with five narrow longitudinal light stripes; as they grow, dark brown or black spots and specks gradually appear between the stripes, which become distinct in adults. In older individuals, the light dorsal stripes are gradually lost against the general motley background of the body, but in females they persist longer. In adult lizards, the front third of the body is usually green; its back, including legs and tail, is olive-brown. The body of males is covered with numerous black spots and specks of irregular shape, the head is monochromatic. During the breeding season, the head, throat and sides of the neck of males acquire a rich blue color. In females, the throat is usually greenish-yellow. The belly of males is greenish or greenish-yellow, females are usually white.
Habitat
The striped lizard is common in the eastern half of the Caucasus, southwestern Turkmenistan and northern Iran. On the territory of Russia, it is found in Dagestan and adjacent areas, to the north it reaches the latitude of Armavir and Stavropol.
In nature
It lives on the plains and in the mountains, often next to the quick lizard; rises to a height of 2500 meters. Adheres to areas covered with grassy, steppe, upland-steppe or semi-desert vegetation, settling in various thickets along the banks of rivers and streams, on the outskirts of swamps, the edges of steppe forests, and shelterbelts.
On mowed fields willingly settles in stacks of hay. It is rare in forests and only occasionally penetrates into forest zone along the river valleys. She avoids bare rocky areas or places with very low herbage.
The striped lizard is more nimble compared to the lizard, it perfectly climbs bushes and tree trunks, escaping from the heat among branches and leaves. Able to dive into the water and stay under water for one and a half to two minutes. In case of danger, it tries to hide in the nearest shelter - in the voids under the roots of trees or between stones, in the holes of rodents. It digs its own burrows 50-70 centimeters long in soft ground. It happens that large striped lizards displace their hosts - mouse-like rodents - from their burrows and behave aggressively at the same time. Thus, young common voles, which were in the same cage with a lizard, died from its bites, and adults were seriously injured.
The striped lizard appears in spring from mid-March to mid-April; in warm winters, for example in Georgia, it is active in February. Leaves for wintering in October-November; adults are the first to leave, much later - immature and recently hatched individuals.
The striped lizard feeds exclusively on animal food: various insects and their larvae, spiders, mollusks. Sometimes adult lizards eat newborns of their own species (the phenomenon of cannibalism has also been noted for other species of lizards). Apparently, the striped lizard is not selective in relation to food, and its diet is mainly determined by the habitat and food availability.
reproduction
During the summer, the female lays eggs twice: at the end of May-beginning of June and at the end of June-mid-July. The clutch contains 6-11 white ellipsoid-shaped eggs covered with a parchment shell, from which young lizards with a total length of about 75-80 millimeters appear after about two months. Lizards become sexually mature in the second year of life, at the age of 22-23 months.
Life expectancy is 7-8 years.
Desirable is a spacious vertical type, designed to look like a section of mountain scree. Its approximate dimensions are 50x40x100 cm. The back and one of the side walls must be decorated with stones of various sizes, fastened with glue (epoxy, silicone, etc.). There should be no gaps between the stones where the lizards could hide, otherwise it will not be very easy to transplant them.
There is another proven method of wall decoration. From a sheet of foam plastic 10 cm thick, a blank is cut out imitating a rock or a large stone, which is covered with a layer epoxy resin(EDN-5) and sprinkled with sand or fine gravel. After polymerization of the resin, the foam is reinforced on the back or side wall. The convenience of this method is the ease of decoration, the ability to quickly replace it, give it an arbitrary shape and texture (for example, you can cut niches for planting).
At the bottom of the terrarium, it is necessary to arrange one or two animals for spending the night. It can be 2-3 large stones lying on top of each other, a piece of bark or a plate of any plastic.
It is advisable to choose taking into account the characteristics of the behavior of lizards. You can use large or small pebbles, gravel, fragments of granite or marble. But it is better to avoid sand as soil - lizards constantly dig it up, and it quickly gets dirty. Land of any composition is unacceptable - reptiles very quickly pollute almost all decorations with it, and the terrarium takes on an untidy look.
It is not necessary to set it - in nature, lizards completely manage with dew, and in captivity with daily spraying. Although it all depends on your desire.
Must be strong enough. It is better if it is combined - with fluorescent lamps that emphasize the color of animals, and incandescent lamps that provide the required temperature (up to 35 ° C during the day, 18-20 ° C at night). An erythema lamp for quartzing can be mounted in the lighting unit.
The required humidity (about 70%) is maintained by spraying, preferably daily, but it is possible every other day. We should not forget about good ventilation - it is provided by installing a mesh "window" in the lower part of the side wall and a mesh cover.
When equipping the terrarium, special attention should be paid to the door through which maintenance will be carried out. These lizards are very mobile animals and, in case of any oversight, they will not fail to leave their premises.
The decor of the terrarium can be supplemented with living plants - climbing forms of ficus and ivy. They are planted in pots, which are dug into the ground and covered with large stones to protect them from animals.
Feeding is usually not a problem. Lizards are content with traditional terrariums - various insects (cockroaches, crickets, flour worms). In the summer, it is very useful to add butterflies and dragonflies to the diet. The flour worm, usually rejected by most amateurs, is very convenient for mineral and vitamin feeding of animals - it can be moistened with Tetravit, sprinkled with calcium-containing preparations, etc. In this case, you need to use the simplest feeder.
striped monitor lizard (Varanus salvator)- a large lizard belonging to the genus monitor lizard (Varanus) living in South and Southeast Asia.
Description
The striped monitor can grow up to 3 meters in length, but in most mature individuals, the average body length is no more than 1.5 meters. Their neck is quite long with an oblong muzzle. Nostrils close to the end of the nose. The tail is laterally compressed and has a dorsal keel. The scutes on the top of the head are larger than those on the back. The color of striped monitor lizards is dark brown or black, with yellow spots on the underside of the body. As a rule, yellow spots become less with age.
area
The striped monitor is one of the most common monitors throughout Asia, with a range of habitats in areas close to the water from Sri Lanka, India to Indo-China and the Malay Peninsula, as well as on various islands in Indonesia.
natural habitat
The banded monitor is semi-aquatic and has a wide range of habitats. They are often found on the banks of rivers and near swamps. The striped monitor is able to navigate large areas of water, which explains its wide distribution.
Nutrition
Striped monitor lizards lead a predatory lifestyle, and can eat any animal that they can handle. The basis of their diet is birds, eggs, small mammals(especially rats), fish, lizards, frogs, snakes, young crocodiles and turtles. It is known that the striped monitor, like the Komodo dragon, is able to dig up the corpses of people and devour them.
The primary hunting technique used by the banded monitor is characterized by open pursuit and hunting rather than stalking and ambush. They are very fast animals with powerful leg muscles. During the hunt for aquatic life, the striped monitor lizard is able to stay under water for up to half an hour.
Behavior
The behavior of the striped monitor resembles that of the green iguana. When threatened by dangerous snakes (such as the king cobra), they use their powerful legs to climb a tree. Once they have climbed a tree, but the threat is still there, the monitor lizard will jump from branch to branch until it feels safe.
reproduction
Males are usually twice as large as females. The breeding season starts in April and continues until October. However, male testicles are larger in April and females are more receptive to mating, so the chances of early breeding season are much higher.
Large females produce more eggs than smaller ones. Eggs are usually laid in rotten logs or stumps.
Lifespan
The average lifespan in captivity is 10.6 years.
Economic value to humans: Positive
The skins of striped monitor lizards are used as a source of dietary protein, in ritual ceremonies, traditional medicine, and for sewing leather goods. The annual trade in striped monitor pelts can reach over 1 million whole skins, mainly for the leather trade. Medium sized individuals are preferred as the skin of large monitor lizards is too tough and thick to work with. There is a small trade in live banded monitors, but they are not suitable pets for most owners.
conservation status
Despite the skin trade, the striped monitor is among the least threatened species. There is speculation that larger females, which produce more eggs, avoid the leather trade due to the poor quality of the leather.