Common lizards

[NickAVD]

These are the babies that were born this summer in our garden. My daughter Alice loves lizards and took some photos.
She doesn't catch them with her hands or a net, she just slowly approaches them and gains their trust so that they climb onto her hand to warm up. And one baby was so curious that he spent about an hour on her T-shirt. After which she returned him to where he was sitting so that he wouldn't lose his little home in the grass.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I love this, and especially that she's mindful and taking good care of them instead of just catching (and frighting and hurting) a wild animal.

 

[NickAVD]

I love this, and especially that she's mindful and taking good care of them instead of just catching (and frighting and hurting) a wild animal.

Last year we often encountered sand lizards on a pile of boards. She managed to feed them caterpillars and they took food from her hands.

 

[ChileanTaco]

I'd say with a lot of patience and carefully observing animal behavior, a lot is possible

(I know the sand lizards, in Germany we refer to them as literally "fence lizard" (Zauneidechse), quite well as in my parent's garden there are always a lot of them. Really fascinating animals and I'd believe they started my interest in reptiles.)

 

[NickAVD]

I'd say with a lot of patience and carefully observing animal behavior, a lot is possible

(I know the sand lizards, in Germany we refer to them as literally "fence lizard" (Zauneidechse), quite well as in my parent's garden there are always a lot of them. Really fascinating animals and I'd believe they started my interest in reptiles.)

It is interesting to study local names for the same lizards. I named the lizard "sand lizard" after studying its English name. In my native language, it is called nimble, meaning quick or agile.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@NickAVD
I've seen that the name "sand lizard" is used generally in the English-speaking world.
I know "nimble" as an English word. Which is your native language if you don't mind telling? I'm curious

I guess in Germany the reference is to the "Zaun" (fence, hedge) because indeed this species if often seen basking on top of hedges, quickly diving down into the twigs if disturbed. It's also often seen close to fences, and once disturbed running to the other side as they seem to know people won't follow.
When I was much younger, I had such a lizard as a "pet" as I found it with an injury, likely a cut from a lawn mower (sadly that happens often). It healed, and I released it back.

I think their very different name references come from the quite large area over which they are found (including subspecies). Their habitats can differ. A bit closer to the equator, where it's more hot and dry I could totally imagine them being found at more sandy places. Where I observed them a lot (Southern part of Germany, close to and in the Bavarian Forest National Park ("Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald"), also Austria, Czech republic), I'd clearly say: living in orchards, forest edges and clearings, gardens which are a bit overgrown (not maintained much or intentionally left like that). Just like that: https://naturschutzbund.at/files/pr..._NdJ/2020/ZauneidechseWeibchen_c_DGHTKwet.jpg

 

[xp29]

These are the babies that were born this summer in our garden. My daughter Alice loves lizards and took some photos.
She doesn't catch them with her hands or a net, she just slowly approaches them and gains their trust so that they climb onto her hand to warm up. And one baby was so curious that he spent about an hour on her T-shirt. After which she returned him to where he was sitting so that he wouldn't lose his little home in the grass.

OMG that's precious .... I hate the name common lizard though, I think all lizards are special

 

[xp29]

I'd say with a lot of patience and carefully observing animal behavior, a lot is possible

(I know the sand lizards, in Germany we refer to them as literally "fence lizard" (Zauneidechse), quite well as in my parent's garden there are always a lot of them. Really fascinating animals and I'd believe they started my interest in reptiles.)

Here in the US we have Eastern fence lizards (we call them Rusty Gades back home) and Western fence lizards as well. I'll pist a couple pictures of each, starting with the Eastern
The males have the blue belly. They are a nervous type and insanely fast. They can not be socialized into pets.

 

[ChileanTaco]

@xp29

That brings back memories as I've seen them often during my years in the US

 

[NickAVD]

I've seen that the name "sand lizard" is used generally in the English-speaking world.
I know "nimble" as an English word. Which is your native language if you don't mind telling? I'm curious

I guess in Germany the reference is to the "Zaun" (fence, hedge) because indeed this species if often seen basking on top of hedges, quickly diving down into the twigs if disturbed. It's also often seen close to fences, and once disturbed running to the other side as they seem to know people won't follow.
When I was much younger, I had such a lizard as a "pet" as I found it with an injury, likely a cut from a lawn mower (sadly that happens often). It healed, and I released it back.

My native language is Russian. My profile says that I am from Moldova, but I am so ancient that I was born in the USSR and at that time Moldova was part of the USSR as a republic, Russian was the state language, so it is my native language, because I think in it.
So, I did not write the word in Cyrillic, because I am not sure that the font will be displayed correctly for everyone, so I translated this word into English based on its semantic meaning, but now I will write it at your request: "прыткая"(prytkaya, i.e. nimble) "ящерица"(yashcheritsa, i.e. lizard).
The root of this word is "прыть", came to the Russian language from the Polish "prytnąć", i.e. "to jump up".
I apologize for such a long linguistic lecture, but I see that you are interested in this.
By the way, the pictures show common lizards, in Russian they are called: "живородящая"(zhivorodyashchaya, i.e. viviparous), it's lizards that do not lay eggs, but give birth to full-fledged little lizards.
So @xp29 is right, they should not be called "common", they are amazing, because they give birth to children like mammals.

Just like that: https://naturschutzbund.at/files/pr..._NdJ/2020/ZauneidechseWeibchen_c_DGHTKwet.jpg

Yes, we also have such beauties, only this year they are almost invisible.

 

[NickAVD]

OMG that's precious .... I hate the name common lizard though, I think all lizards are special

I totally agree with you!
They are special, if only because they don't lay eggs.

 

[NickAVD]

Here in the US we have Eastern fence lizards (we call them Rusty Gades back home) and Western fence lizards as well. I'll pist a couple pictures of each, starting with the Eastern
The males have the blue belly. They are a nervous type and insanely fast. They can not be socialized into pets.

Wow, what beautiful colors they have!
Thanks for sharing, we are all used to the lizards we see and they are not exotic to us.
It is so interesting to see what they are like in different parts of the world.
In the last photo he has a beard almost like a bearded dragon!

 

[xp29]

Wow, what beautiful colors they have!
Thanks for sharing, we are all used to the lizards we see and they are not exotic to us.
It is so interesting to see what they are like in different parts of the world.
In the last photo he has a beard almost like a bearded dragon!

I hadn't noticed the beard but your right, that's pretty cool.
I spent my childhood chasing Rusty Gades (notice I said "chasing" lol. There was a lot more chasing than catching. I caught maybe 1 in 500.

 

[Xjrosie]

Really jealous of you guys who get to see random lizards in your backyard! I just looked it up, and Michigan only has two native species of lizard, 19 snakes, and some turtles, all of which are very adept at making themselves scarce.

 

[NickAVD]

Really jealous of you guys who get to see random lizards in your backyard! I just looked it up, and Michigan only has two native species of lizard, 19 snakes, and some turtles, all of which are very adept at making themselves scarce.

My main residence is a city apartment.
But I have a summer house about 30 miles outside the city, there is a forest around there and there are these beautiful lizards.
I can't always see them either, but only when I'm there, which usually happens on weekends in the summer.