Facts about Yellow spotted lizard

Yellow-spotted night lizard belongs to Lepidophyma genus, and it's a member of the Xantusiidae family. It is one of the largest species of that family.

The population is distributed from central Mexico through Panama. They prefer moist and wet forested areas.

The spots cover the upper side and sides of the body of the animal. Those running along the sides of the body are arranged in two rows. The belly may be light brown or light yellow with brown patches.

The scales are rough and give the body a specific texture. Those that cover the underside of the body are smoother and facilitate the movement of the animal. The finest scales cover the head, and at this point resemble the skin of a snake.

They feed primarily on insects, but plants can also be found in the yellow-spotted night lizard diet. Yellow-spotted lizards prefer to wait for prey to come nearby rather than hunt it down. They prey mostly on ants, spiders, termites, scorpions, crickets, millipedes and centipedes.

Newborn lizards are 3 cm (1,2 in) long and look very similar to adults.

It takes at least 3 years for yellow spotted lizards to reach maturity.

Yet, they have very sharp teeth which can do a unpleasant pain after a bite.

It means that no male is necessary to produce next generation. Young lizards are born fully developed. In addition, those lizards are capable of laying eggs if necessary.

All lizards born this way are females. There are some populations of yellow spotted lizards that contain no males at all.

Typically, five to eight young are born in a single litter.

They can also be found on tree trunks or beneath bark, rock crevices and caves.

Yellow-spotted lizards tend to hunt and mate during the night but sometimes can be spotted during the day. Although they are ectothermic organisms, they do not bask in the sun.

IUCN classifies those animals as LC (least concern).