Fun Lazarus Lizard Facts For Kids

The common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), also known as the Lazarus lizards or European wall lizard, is a lizard family species found in large populations in the range of North America to Europe.

This species with genetic diversity acquired its name because it is occasionally found hiding on walls and boulders. The name Lazarus is given to these species because of the story of the family of Rau Lazarus.

The stepson of Fred Lazarus III, George Rau, a ten-year-old boy, collected and released these European wall lizards when his family went for a vacation in Lake Garda.

George Rau collected these species and brought them with him from Lake Garda to Torrence Court in Cincinnati near the city of Ohio River, where he released them, and because of that, the Torrence Court is given the name of Lizard Hill. Even after so many years, the locals still call Torrence Court by the name of Lizard Hill.

Although these Lazarus lizards are the native species of America, they are also found in southern England, where they are considered non-native lizards. The research performed by the University Of Cincinnati and northern Italy near Milan proves that the common wall lizards seem to have genetic diversity.

They have six morphological forms, which is the unique feature found in the lizards.

The color of the scales distinguishes these morphs on the throat and belly. Pure morphs are white, yellow, and red, whereas the other three are a combination of these colors.

Here on our page, we have lots of amazing facts about the Lazarus lizard that everyone will enjoy. Let's look at these interesting facts; if you like these, do read our articles on the Texas horned lizard and the collared lizard.

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Lazarus Lizard Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Lazarus lizard?

The common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) is lizard species that was given the name Lazarus lizards because of the ten-year-old boy George Rau from the Lazarus family.

What class of animal does a Lazarus lizard belong to?

The Lazarus lizards belong to the class of Reptilia.

How many Lazarus lizards are there in the world?

The exact population of the European wall lizard creatures is hard to estimate because they are in huge growth, and their natural population is constantly growing. Therefore, these invasive wildlife creatures are in the category of Least Concern.

Where does a Lazarus lizard live?

The Lazarus lizards are the native lizards of the European countries and America. The habitat of Podarcis muralis includes various places like the local park or behind the rock.

They are found in northern Italy near Milan, southwest Ohio city in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky. If you're in Cincinnati one day and spot a lizard on the rocky slopes, it is most likely a native European wall lizard.

What is a Lazarus lizard habitat?

The habitat of European wall lizards is in the places like walls like stone walls, rock walls, local parks, rocky areas, behind rocks, buildings, and semi-humid habitats.

Who does Lazarus lizard live with?

According to research performed by the University of Cincinnati, it is observed that European wall lizards do not like to live in a group. They usually show territorial behavior towards the other populations or groups and hence live in solitude.

How long does a Lazarus lizard live?

The natural average lifespan range of the Lazarus lizards is around five years of age. The populations of these wildlife lizards are increasing because of their long lifespan and the number of offspring given birth at once.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of the European wall lizards starts from the spring season, where these lizards come together to perform the process. After the process is finished, females lay two to four eggs at a time.

The female then builds a nest for her eggs behind a rock, in local rocky areas, or a wildlife park to camouflage easily. When the young are born, females take care of them until they are old enough to survive independently.

What is their conservation status?

The European wall lizard has the status of Least Concern. Their population and growth are perfectly good in numbers. These invasive non-native Lazarus lizards are found in a number of places like Italy near Milan and Cincinnati in Ohio, and they seem to be perfectly safe in this world.

Lazarus Lizard Fun Facts

What does the Lazarus lizard look like?

Like every other species of lizards, these creatures are also small in size with scaly bodies. The lizard has a grayish or brownish color with a little bit of green inside the scales. The scale patterns can be straight or irregular, with dark-colored spots on each side of its body.

The tail is long, and it can be a brown or gray-colored tail. They may have different colored morphs. It can be pure colored or a combination of them.

How cute are they?

Lazarus lizards are not at all cute to human beings. These lizards look scary because of their distinctive color but are quite harmless to humans.

How do they communicate?

Lazarus lizards have their style of communication. These lizards can communicate through chemical and visual signals. Males seem to produce a genetic waxy secretion used to send signals to the rest of the population. They also vocalize and create vibrations.

How big is a Lazarus lizard?

The average length of Lazarus lizards is 8 in (20 cm) long. They are 10-20 times smaller than domestic cats.

How fast can Lazarus lizards move?

The average speed of the Lazarus lizards is not estimated yet, but these creatures are pretty fast. If you ever spot one and try to approach it, you will find out how fast it can run and try to camouflage itself.

How much do Lazarus lizards weigh?

The average weight of the Lazarus lizards is around 0.5 oz (16 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Adults do not have a specific name for the females and males. They are referred to as the male Lazarus lizard and the female Lazarus lizard.

What would you call baby Lazarus lizards?

There is no particular name for the baby Lazarus lizards.

What do they eat?

The main diet of the Lazarus lizards is full of small insects like grasshoppers, butterflies, moths. These creatures also feed on the spiders that have their web on the walls; they are invasive.

Are they poisonous?

No, Lazarus lizards are harmless to humans. However, they look scary and intimidating to humans. They are harmless and not poisonous. These creatures stay away from humans and are often seen trying to camouflage.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they can be a good pet to humans as Lazarus lizards do not need high maintenance and attention. They can stay alone, and they are not harmful, so that's a plus point.

It is better if you pet them when they are young because the older ones tend to get scared and die as a result. They are also non-messy and low maintenance.

Did you know...

Lazarus lizards cannot survive cold temperatures. These creatures get immobilized if they feel cold. Some people throw cold water on them to immobilize them when they find them in their house.

These lizards are very good climbers and diggers, which means that they can climb up almost any surface and dig burrows to hide outside to escape from predators.

If a lizard cannot find itself a natural and native shelter, it will be ready to build a burrow for itself as it can't withstand cold temperatures and needs to hibernate during winters.

What kind of lizards live in Kentucky?

The common lizards found in Kentucky are glass lizards, race-runners lizards, northern fence lizards, Mediterranean house geckos, and skinks.

What attracts lizards to your house?

When humans leave leftovers out in the open in their houses or in poorly packed containers, they attract small insects like ants and flies. As a result, these ants and flies attract native wall lizards because they feed on small insects.

To keep them away from your house, you should keep small insects at bay. Hang garlic around the house, or keep cloves of garlic near doors and windows to keep them away as they hate the smell of garlic.

Follow these steps, and eventually, no wall lizards will be attracted to your house. If you want to get rid of Lazarus lizards, make a lump of coffee and tobacco wherever these lizards frequently visit.

These lizards hate the smell of that. You could also use naphthalene balls and keep them in your drawers, closets, or other corners.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these children's python facts and gopher tortoise facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable lizard Aboriginal art coloring pages.