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Gigantic Lace Lizards Find Home in Australian Cities

Which reptile can climb on trees or, sometimes mistakenly, on people and also horses? Which reptile has a heavy tail but can swim and stay underwater for an hour? It is the gigantic lace lizard!

This gigantic lizard lives in the deserts of central Australia and is the largest lizard on the continent. The lace lizard tastes the air, using its tongue like a nose to find the smell of delicious small animals, using special cells on the top of its mouth. It eats small mammals, lizards, snakes, birds, rabbits, and eggs. However, the European rabbit is its favorite food.

The gigantic lace lizard weighs about 26 pounds and can grow up to be eight feet. This lizard's weapons include its serrated blade-like teeth, sharp hooked claws that help with climbing, and a heavy strong tail, strong enough to cause significant damage, especially if the lizard finds itself threatened. Its life span is roughly 30 years.

When the gigantic lace lizard finds its prey, it rushes toward it quickly using its muscular legs. Then, it grabs its prey with its serrated teeth and swishes its head side to side, disorienting its prey. Once it is stunned, the lizard eats it up. This lizard uses any cover it can find when ambushing its prey. When a gigantic lace lizard sees a predator, it inflates its throat to make a hissing sound to alarm its predator to back up and run away.

These lizards have become more common in cities, making scientists believe that the population of the lace lizards has risen. Since these powerful and scary lizards are becoming more common, and are adapting to more urban habitats, it’s best to watch out for them!

[Source: Snakes and Reptiles]

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