The lizard is found in two variants in Denmark – the forest lizard and the ground lizard. They can be difficult to distinguish from each other, but if you see a lizard in the dunes or near the beach, it is usually the forest lizard, where it can sit on wooden pieces or something else to be warmed by the sun. The forest lizard gives birth to live pups, as opposed to the ground lizard laying eggs. The lizard can grow up to 18 cm, where the tail is more than half. The body is quite flimsy and the color varies from gray-brown to olive-brown to red-brown and it has several bright and dark rows of ribbons and stains.
Did you know that:
The lizard can throw the tail when it is threatened. Then the tail lies and twists for a few seconds and confuses the enemy, after which the lizard can hurry away. The tail grows out again in a few weeks.
