Lizard
Lizard any of the members of the reptilian order Lacertilia having dry body covered with small scales or tubercles. Lizards of Bangladesh comprise 18 species belonging to four families: Gekkonidae, Agamidae, Scincidae and Varanidae.
The family Gekkonidae comprises of 1. Gecko/Wall Lizard/Tucktoo (tokkhak/shanda) Gekko gecko: soft and warty skin, largest in gekkonids; body and tail c. 20 cm; widely distributed; has loud and heavy call 'tucktoo'; lives in tree holes, crevices and dark places. 2. House Lizard (tiktiki), Hemidactylus bowringii: Body and tail c. 11 cm; usually found on the east of the Jamuna river. 3. House Lizard, H. brookii: Body and tail c. 14 cm; widely distributed. 4. Common House Lizad, H. flaviviridis: largest and heavy among the house lizards; body and tail c. 20 cm; common in Rajshahi, Khulna and Barisal divisions. 5. Common House Lizard, H. frenatus: yellowish; body and tail c. 13 cm; widely distributed; males give loud call, females have low 'thik thik' calls.
The family Agamidae comprises of 1. Flying Lizard/Draco (uranta tiktiki), Draco blanfordii: Body and tail c. 12 cm; rarely seen in the forests of Sylhet and Chittagong. 2. Common Garden Lizard (rakto-chusa), Calotes versicolor: Body c. 10 cm; tail c. 30 cm; widely distributed; male develops scarlet or crimson temporary warning colour mostly over head and shoulder. 3. Garden Lizard (sabuj rakto-chusa), C. jerdoni: Body c. 10 cm; tail c. 30 cm; found in mixed evergreen forests. 4. Forest Calotes/Garden Lizard (rakto-chusa), C. rouxi: Body c. 8 cm; tail c. 20 cm.
The family Scincidae comprises of Common Skink (anjon), Mabuya carinata; Striped Skink (anjon), M. dissimilis; Skink (anjon), M. macularius; Lygosoma albopunctata; L. punctatus; and Snake Skink, L. vosmaeri.
Monitor Lizard (gui sap) Large dry-bodied tetrapod reptiles of family Varanidae. Body covered with tubercles; well developed sharp clawed pentadactylus limbs; neck long, more flexible than in most other lizards; tail not fragile; backwardly curved pleurodont teeth; tongue smooth, long, slender and bifid at the tip and protractile. Largely terrestrial and diurnal, agile climber; sometimes semiaquatic and good swimmer. Live mostly in earth holes, termite mounds, tree holes and crevices. Feeds on live animals, and carcass. Some tribes eat its meat. Bangladesh has three species:
Bengal Monitor/Grey Monitor Lizard (guisap), Varanus bengalensis; Yellow Monitor/Common Lizard (sona gui/haldey gui/hungui sap), Varanus flavescens; and Ring lizard/Two-banded Monitor (ram godi/kalo gui), Varanus salvator. [Md. Farid Ahsan]
