Australia has some of the most beautiful and the biggest lizards in the world; while most of these can observe red in their natural habitat across the rainforests of Australia there are also species which can be taken home as pets. Most herpetologists harbor the dream of going to Australia to observe one of the most diverse lizard populations; for instance a very popular Australian lizard is the Lacertilia which belongs to the order Squamata.
The country boasts of an impressive 700 different species of snakes and lizards and these are just the documented species with many being discovered each day. It is not unusual to see a lot of Australian lizards in the outback region; then again, you could as easily also spot them in your garden in the heart of Brisbane or Sydney.
Australian lizards come in a variety of sizes from 25 mm (the tiny Grey’s Skink) to the mammoth Perentie that can grow to two meters. If you are visiting the Australian outback look for these lizards:
The Skink: Also known as the Scincidae, the species has well over 300 sub-species and make up 50% of the Australian lizard population. Many of these species are seen as pets in homes all over the country; for instance, the Blue tongue lizard.
The other popular lizard family is Agamidae or the dragon lizards. The name sounds dangerous and big but most of the reptiles found in this species are fairly small but they are very unusual making them extremely photogenic.
Some of the popular lizards from the family are: the frilled neck lizard, the bearded dragon and the thorny devil
If you are in the Australian outback looking for lizards chances are that you will not miss the Varanidae or monitor lizards, even though this is a small reptilian family; the members of the species are big enough to warrant a lot of attention. Almost 28 species of monitor lizards can be found in the country and they can be seen all over except for Tasmania.
While traveling in the warmer regions of Australia, you are also bound to come across the gecko; these are ground and tree dwelling lizards that can also be seen in houses and gardens. The house gecko is the most popular member of the family. These reptiles have toe pads that help them to run across ceiling and walls in homes; also they are incredibly adaptive and do not mind sharing the space with humans.
