Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of DiversityFrom tiny to gigantic, from drab to remarkably beautiful, from harmless to venomous, lizards are spectacular products of natural selection. This book, lavishly illustrated with color photographs, is the first comprehensive reference on lizards around the world. Accessible, scientifically up-to-date, and written with contagious enthusiasm for the subject, Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity covers species evolution, diversity, ecology, and biology. Eric R. Pianka and Laurie J. Vitt have studied and photographed members of almost all lizard families worldwide, and they bring to the book a deep knowledge based on extensive firsthand experience with the animals in their natural habitats. Part One explores lizard lifestyles, answering such questions as why lizards are active when they are, why they behave as they do, how they avoid predators, why they eat what they eat, and how they reproduce and socialize. In Part Two the authors take us on a fascinating tour of the world's manifold lizard species, beginning with iguanians, an evolutionary group that includes some of the most bizarre lizards, the true chameleons of Africa and Madagascar. We also meet the glass lizard, able to break its tail into many highly motile pieces to distract a predator from its body; lizards that can run across water; and limbless lizards, such as snakes. Part Three gives an unprecedented global view of evolutionary trends that have shaped present-day lizard communities and considers the impact of humans on their future. A definitive resource containing many entertaining anecdotes, this magnificent book opens a new window to the natural world and the evolution of life on earth. |
Contents
1 | |
LIZARD LIFESTYLES | 9 |
LIZARD DIVERSITY | 141 |
SYNTHESIS | 255 |
Taxonomic Summary of Lizard Genera | 299 |
Glossary | 303 |
307 | |
325 | |
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Common terms and phrases
active adult agamids Amazonian Ameiva amphisbaenians ancestor anguids Anguimorpha anoles Anolis ants arboreal ards areas Australian autarchoglossans autotomy basking body temperatures burrows chameleons chemical clade clutch Cnemidophorus Coleodactylus color cordylids crevices crypsis desert lizards dewlap diet difficult diurnal ecological eggs environments Eric Pianka escape Eumeces evolution evolutionary feed females field fig find first five flat foraging fossorial geckos gekkotans genera genus gymnophthalmids habitats head horned lizards iguana iguanians insects interactions juveniles Kentropyx lacertids larger Laurie Vitt leaf litter limbs live LIZARD DIVERSITY LIZARD LIFESTYLES lizard species Mabuya males mating microhabitats monitor lizards morphology move nest nocturnal occur offspring perentie Pianka Platysaurus predators prey pygopodids rain forest relatively reproductive reptiles rock sand scales scleroglossans season sexual sexual dimorphism sit-and-wait skinks snakes squamates surface tail teiids termites terrestrial territorial thorny devils tongue tree tropical Tropidurus varanids Varanus viviparous whereas World