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Lizards,
or lagartos in Portuguese, are very common in
Portugal
and can be found scampering around your
garden and countryside most days.
There are a variety of
lizards native to
Portugal
and though you may be nervous of these reptiles,
they are naturally very timid and will run in the
opposite direction when you approach. However when
cornered
lizards in Portugal
can pack a |
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nasty
bite, though only as a last, defensive resort. When in
danger from a predator or perceived danger from a human,
lizards
have the ability to drop their tails, to
escape. The lizard's tails do eventually grow back.
However
lizards
which have lost their tails can look a
bit stumpy and odd, much like the Ocellated Lizard (Timon
lepidus) pictured above. |
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Perhaps one of the most
common species of
lizards in Portugal is the
Algerian Psammodromus (Psammo-dromus Algirus), which can grow up
to nine centimetres in length excluding the tail. The Psammodromus have
slender bodies with long tails and the scales to the head are larger
than those of the body. |
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Algerian Psammodromus |
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The Ocellated Lizard (Timon Lepidus) is one of the
large members of the wall lizard family found in Portugal and is known in Portuguese as
sardão. The Ocellated Lizard prefers bushy, shrub like habitats such
as old vineyards and olive groves. Ocellated Lizards can grow up to 60
centimetres in length and has a serrated collar. Ocellated Lizards are
usually greenish in colour though can also be a brownish/grey. |
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Ocellated Lizard |
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