Ocellated Lizard

The Ocellated Lizard is a species of wall lizard and one of the largest members of its family. The adult is 1 to 2 feet long and may reach up to 3 feet. About two-thirds of its length is the tail. Newly hatched young are 1 to 2 inches long excluding the tail. The Ocellated Lizard a robust lizard with a serrated collar and the male has a characteristic broad head and thick, strong legs with long, curved claws. The dorsal background colour is usually green but sometimes grey or brownish, especially on the head and tail. This is overlaid with black stippling that may form a bold pattern of interconnected rosettes. The underside is yellowish or greenish. The male is brighter in colour than the female and has blue spots on its flanks. There are fewer or no blue spots in the female. Young are green, grey or brown with yellowish or white and often black-edged spots all over.

The Ocellated Lizard can be found in southern Spain, Portugal and France and north west Italy from sea level up to 7000 feet. Its natural habitats are dry, bushy areas such as open woodland and scrub, old olive groves and vineyards sometimes in more open, rocky or sandy areas. It can occasionally be seen basking on roadsides, it can also climb well on rocks and in trees and it can dig holes and sometimes uses abandoned rabbit burrows.

The Ocellated Lizard feeds mainly on large insects, especially beetles. It also robs birds’ nests and occasionally takes reptiles, frogs and small mammals as well as fruit and other plant matter.

Breeding occurs in late spring or early summer. Males are territorial in spring and fight in the breeding season. The female lays up to 22 eggs in June and July about 3 months after mating, hiding them under stones and logs or in leaf litter or in loose damp soil. The eggs hatch in 8 to 14 weeks.

Date: 1st May 2012

Location: El Acebuche, Coto Doñana, Andalucia, Spain