The European green lizard (Lacerta viridis ) is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, or sheltering amongst bushes.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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SolitaryHi
HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe European green lizard is a large lizard native to southeastern Europe. The male has a larger head and a uniform green coloring punctuated with small spots that are more pronounced upon its back. The throat is bluish in the adult male and to a lesser extent in the female. The female is more slender than the male and has a more uniform coloration, often displaying between two and four light bands bordered by black spots.
European green lizards are found from southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, eastern Italy, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece to southern Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and western Turkey. They typically live in dense bushy vegetation in open woodland, hedgerows, field margins, embankments, and bramble thickets. In the northern part of their range, green lizards may be found on bushy heathland, and in the southern part they prefer damp locations.
European green lizards are active from March to early October. They are solitary and live on the ground or in low, dense vegetation and like to bask in the sun, early and late in the day. They often hide under rocks, in rodent burrows, or hollows. European green lizards are very fast and alert; they are also able to dig holes up to 1 m in length. When escaping from the danger they may climb bushes and trees and even jump from one branch to another. These lizards sometimes shed their tail (autotomy) to evade the grasp of a predator, regrowing it later.
European green lizards are carnivores (insectivores). They feed mainly on insects and other small invertebrates but they also sometimes take fruit, birds eggs, fledglings, small lizards, and even mice.
European green lizards breed between May and early June. The female lays 6 to 20 eggs which usually hatch in 2-4 months. Newly hatched young are pale brown in color and measure 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.6 in) in length. They become mature the following year by which time they will have doubled in size.
At present, there are no major threats to this adaptable spices. However, in Turkey, it may be impacted by the use of pesticides and in northern parts of its range it can suffer from habitat loss and predation by cats.
According to IUCN, the European green lizard is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
