Lizards (Lacertilia)

This group gathers Reptiles subcategory members that are lizards in the broad sense, the general suborder Lacertilia, but that are not geckos, chameleons or monitor lizards, each of which the atlas groups separately for their own greater depth of coverage. It spans true lizards, skinks, iguanas, anoles, agamids and horned lizards, along with a small number of limbless or near-limbless species, the slow worm and the amphisbaenians such as the Iberian worm lizard and checkerboard worm lizard, animals frequently mistaken for snakes or earthworms despite belonging to a distinct lizard lineage. Members here range from the diminutive Texas horned lizard and common wall lizard to large, showy species such as the green iguana, marine iguana and frilled-necked lizard, and include the two living venomous lizard species, the Gila monster and its Mexican relative the Mexican beaded lizard. Most members are quadrupedal, diurnal and insectivorous or omnivorous, though several, including the marine iguana and various skinks, have specialized toward unusual diets or habitats.