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Zootoca vivipara
Viviparous lizards have a wide color range, varying between brown, red, grey, green, or black. This species displays sexual dimorphic color patterns on its underside, with males being brightly colored in yellows, blues, oranges, and greens. Males are also easily identified by having white spots in a longitudinal arrangement on their dorsal side. The base of the tail in sexually mature males is also noticeably thicker than in females. Sexually mature adults of both sexes typically weigh between 2 to 5 g, with total lengths of 50 to 77 mm. Viviparous lizards are known both to give live birth and to lay eggs. The reasons for differences in reproductive method between indiviudals or entire subpopulatons has yet to be discovered. When lizards are placed in multiple environments, females bear their young in different ways. When the young are born live, they do not all arrive at the same time, with the first and last individuals being born a few days to a week apart. In oviparous individuals, the development of the egg takes around 3 months to complete. Individual sexes are not determined until sexual maturity.
Viviparous lizards are found in a range of habitats including meadows, woodland, marshes, swamps, damp forests, heathland, moors, sand dunes, hedgerows, bogs and rubbish dumps. Viviparous lizards live mainly on the ground, although they may climb onto rocks, logs and low-growing vegetation.
Spotted in Veluwe, De Sprengen, Holland. (sources: see reference)
Spotted on Sep 15, 2016
Submitted on Oct 17, 2019
6 Comments
Thanks Tukup! I hope you are all settled in your jungle home, Btw you'll get that SOTW one day, it's bound to happen :)
Missed the nomination in the process of moving back to our jungle home. Great photo. Congratulations on the nomination. I've never actually had a SOTW, but the nominations are gratifying.
Thank you for the nomination, AshleyT
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Sure is a curious phenomenon having two modes of reproduction at your disposal. There is even a record of a viviparous skink that first laid three eggs and weeks later gave birth to a live young.
Really interesting info!