Lizard Scales: Learn All About The Lizard's Stupefying Scales

Lizards fall under the category of reptiles with more than 6,000 different types of this animal present on earth.

Lizards vary from each other on multiple aspects ranging from body size, shape to natural habitat and their eating habits. This reptile falls under the category of vertebrates as they have a skeletal body structure and compulsorily a backbone as well to support their body.

There is a hypothesis that reasons the evolutionary history of lizards for the diversification of snakes from lizards which supposedly were one and the same at some time. Apparently according to another hypothesis, way back in time, a group containing geckos got diverged from the other squamates signifying that iguanians live deeply within the stock of lizards.

If there is some more data to support this hypothesis, it will mean that many of the behavioral traits in iguanians suggest that they had developed independently. Looking towards the body scales of lizards, many lizards have their entire bodies covered with scales except for their eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

Usually, these scales are smooth in texture and constantly overlap each other.

This overlapping nature of the scales forms a pattern on the body of the organism. Different lizard species have different colors of scales on the surface of their body resulting in different kinds of patterns just like those in a fish.

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Why do lizards have scales?

Different lizard species have different patterns of scales on their skin but ultimately the function of the scale is one and the same. All reptiles including lizards, snakes have scales on their skin, this is a characteristic feature of the reptiles as all the animals do not have scales on their body.

As the reptiles evolve over the years, and their scale keeps on evolving, adapting to the existing weather conditions.

Biology experts reason scales to be a very important part of a reptile. Scales on the body of a reptile protect its skin from injuries and damage from everyday wear and tear.

The keratin named substance that makes the scales of a reptile is not only strong enough to withstand blows of nature but is also waterproof, protecting the skin of the reptile.

Many reptiles including the majority of lizards and all snakes shed skin from time to time. The process of skin shading is known as molting and it allows the animal to increase in size.

Are lizards born with scales?

All reptiles have epidermal scales which are the scales that are attached and arise from the skin of the lizard. All reptiles including lizards have dry skin and it is these scales that maintain the right amount of moisture and at the same time acts as a barrier for evaporation.

The fact that the scales of a lizard are attached to its skin signifies that they possess it from birth and this is consistent for males as well as females.

However, at birth, the scales of both the males and females do not look as they do once the lizards have grown up.

The scales are formed on the epidermis or the top layer of the skin and with time as the reptile evolves, and the scales keep on developing and finally form patterns that we see in these animals. Just as scale formation is a constant process, the entire event flow when reptiles shed their skin is a flow process.

Different animals shed their skin in different methods, some do it at one time in a whole, whereas, some do it in patches.

Interestingly, underneath the epidermis layer, there is the dermis layer just above the skin of the reptile where bony plates often develop but it has been noted that they aren't necessarily of the same pattern like the scales above.

Scales And Color Change

With advancements in ecology, it has been noted that various species of lizards have the unique ability to change their color. The change in concentration in pigment is what leads to a change in the color of the body, the pigment cells which permit color change are known as melanophores.

The two most known groups of lizards that are capable of changing their color are anoles and chameleons.

In hardly any time, these animals can change their color from a light shade to a deeper one according to the surroundings. Additionally, the bar or the line patterns that might previously be visible on the males or females of that species can be completely disappeared in just a fraction of time.

This ability helps reptiles to escape from their predators by camouflaging themselves with their surroundings swiftly.

The mechanism behind the change of color is when the pigment concentration is high, the body color is light and when the pigment is dispersed throughout the cell, the body color turns relatively darker. The nervous system, the temperature of the place, and the hormones in the body of the reptile play key roles in the color change process.

Other than two lizard species, to date, scientists haven't notably found any other species which can change its body color, as well as, disappear its scale pattern at its whims and fancies.

Evolution And Classification

Lizards fall under the reptile class, where the lizards are further divided into four different types. Now the morphological data states that iguanians were the first modern lizards to develop, but on the other hand, the molecular evidence contradicts this statement.

It states that geckos along with dibamids were the first squamates to evolve. Reptiles are undoubtedly one of the first animals to be discovered on this planet with data indicating them to be as old as 310-320 million years old.

The lizards are further divided into four categories with the first one infraorder Iguania consisting of iguanas, chameleons, and agamas as the noted ones. Next up, the infraorder Gekkota comprises blind lizards, geckos, legless lizards. Skinks and wall lizards fall under infraorder Scincomorpha, and lastly, the suborder Anguimorpha comprises slow worms, monitor lizards, and some similar reptiles.

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