Lizards (Lacertidae) are characterized by two pairs of well-developed limbs and a tail longer than the body. We distinguish species by the characteristic arrangement and number of scales that cover their heads. Lizards are, like other reptiles, animals with a variable body temperature, so their life in our region follows the rhythm of the seasons. Lizards emerging from torpor, in which they have survived the cold autumn and winter months, awaken to the warm April sun, followed by mating, and then egg-laying in May and June. With the exception of the viviparous lizard, all lizards living here lay eggs and do not care for the embryo.
We count 200 species in the family of lizards, of which eight live in Slovenia. They inhabit Europe, Asia and Africa. In Australia, the Americas, the Arctic and Iceland, and Madagascar, there are none.
