Lizards With Surprising Abilities

A plumed basilisk can sprint upright over water for a short distance. Its spreading toes press down and back against the surface. The trick depends on keeping up that run, one fast footfall after another.

Between trees, this flying lizard spreads skin held out by long ribs. Its front feet reach back to hold the leading edge of that membrane during the glide, then let go to grip the landing tree. The yellow flap visible in this photo is a throat fan used for display.

A tokay gecko can cling to a smooth vertical surface on broad toe pads. The pads have an array of tiny hairs that make close contact with the surface. The way the gecko angles its toes lets it stick and release quickly with each step.

Narrow channels between the thorny devil’s scales carry water toward its mouth. In experiments, the lizard drew water into those channels while standing in a puddle, then drank it by moving its jaws. The spines catch your eye first, but the spaces between the scales have a use of their own.

A crown of spines and a flattened body are clues to a Texas horned lizard. It feeds heavily on harvester ants. High-speed footage shows it using its tongue to seize an ant and pull it into the mouth, where mucus can help immobilize the prey.

A tall casque rises from the veiled chameleon’s head. Each eye can scan on its own, and the two can then fix on the same prey. A long tongue shoots out to catch insects while the lizard keeps its grip on the branch.

A Komodo dragon’s forked tongue samples chemicals from the air and carries them to a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth. That lets the lizard follow a food scent even when it cannot see the source.

Orange and black beads across the back make this lizard easy to recognize. The thick tail is a reserve of stored fat. This helps it get through stretches when it spends most of its time sheltered and feeds infrequently.

When threatened, this South African lizard can bite its own tail and curl into a ring. Its spiny outside stays exposed while its softer underside faces in. Its normal shelter is a narrow rock crevice.

This long, legless lizard is easy to mistake for a snake. Look for the opening of an external ear behind the eye and the movable eyelids. The longitudinal fold along its flank is another useful clue.

Most of the time, the frill lies folded around the neck. When alarmed, the lizard can open its mouth and spread the frill into a broad disk. The same animal that looked like a slim trunk climber suddenly presents a much larger face.

A flattened tail helps a marine iguana swim away from the Galápagos shore to feed on algae. It can eject salty fluid through its nostrils. On dark volcanic rock, a pale crust around the nose can show where that salt dried.

The sandfish skink disappears into loose sand and moves through it by bending its body from side to side. X-ray footage shows the limbs drawn in once the lizard is below the surface. Its swimming stroke comes from the body and tail.

The common blue-tongued skink can open its mouth to show a bright blue tongue when disturbed. The display makes the tongue easier to see against the pink inside of the mouth. Its short legs and stocky body make a useful second clue when the mouth is shut.