Greece is home to a wide variety of lizards, but the most prevalent is the “Gecko.”
Although geckos can be found in other regions of the world, including parts of the United States (like California), these lizards thrive in Greece’s climate.
1. Verdant Lizard
The verdant lizard is found in Greece. Adults have tails that can grow up to 25.5 cm (10 in) long and measure roughly 15 cm (6 in).
They have a bluish neck and are green with tiny black markings throughout, especially on their backs.
Males exhibit a more prominent blue throat and a larger head. Greece’s green lizards are remarkably colorful.
Although they resemble an animal you might see in a jungle, their preferred habitats include thickets of brambles, open woods, hedgerows, and dense foliage.
These lizards in Greece are frequently seen lounging in the late afternoon sun close to embankments.
The Green Lizard consumes insects, small rodents, invertebrates, and birds’ eggs. They also consume food such as tree fruit and berries.
This species will cut off its tail to elude predators like some others.
But this shrewd reptile has an additional clever defense tactic. It will flee in a zigzag style to fool any predators that pursue it.
When it gets far enough away, it will halt abruptly, reverse course, and cautiously approach the predator again before hiding.
It darts right by the lizard hiding under a rock or in a shrub as the predator hurries to grab it, believing it to be ahead!
2. The Glass Lizard
Adult glass lizards are 135 cm (4.43 feet) long. They can be a variety of colors, but the most frequent ones are tan and brown with sporadic reddish or orange dots.
This Greek lizard could be mistaken for a snake at first glance! Its small vestigial legs are difficult to spot without close inspection.
These lizards in Greece slither around on their bellies rather than walking because they’re practically nonexistent.
It differs from other lizards in more ways than one, even if this may be the most noticeable.
With up to 50 years of life, these incredible lizards in Greece outlive most other mammals.
Although it is more active in wet times, this species likes dry places such as short meadows or slopes with little to no wood.
Its favorite food is snails, which it snaps with its powerful jaw and robust teeth.
But they also won’t turn down small mammals or arthropods.
3. Legless Lizard
If you’ve discovered a legless lizard in Greece, you can distinguish it from a snake by looking for a few important differences. Adults can reach a length of 50 cm (20 in).
Their body is brown, and their flanks are a darker shade of brown. During mating season, males have prominent blue markings on their backs.
Legless lizards are known as Eastern Slowworms in Greece. Despite their odd moniker, these things aren’t worms at all!
The way they crawl around on their bellies and lack legs may easily mislead them to a snake.
The following distinctions will assist you in recognizing an Eastern Slowworm:
Eastern Slowworms are found sunning themselves in trailside clearings and forests.
This species is most comfortable under stone heaps and wood waste, although it prefers living in little rat holes.
They frequently go into suburban gardens, particularly in search of food.
These lizards in Greece enjoy sunbathing, but they are most active at night and following a rainstorm.
Its name implies it is not the quickest lizard in the world; instead, it favors slower food such as slugs, earthworms, and insect larvae.
4. Blue-throated Keeled Lizard
Blue-throated-keeled lizards are also on our list of lizards in Greece.
An adult is about 25 cm (10 in) long. They have a white or golden belly and a light brown body.
During the breeding season, they get black patches on their backs, and during mating season, the males’ blue throats are more vibrant.
It is simple to identify the Blue-throated Keeled Lizard in Greece.
Its distinctive V-shaped scales, known as keels, on its back, flanks, and tail set it apart from other European lizards.
The blue throat of this species also aids in the identification of scientists and hobbyists.
Search for these lizards in Greece in and around urban areas, plantations, pasturelands, and rural gardens.
This lizard mostly eats worms, insects, and other small invertebrates. It is incredibly fast and hardly misses its food.
Since blue-throated kettled lizards are a protected species, they cannot be taken from the wild for the pet trade.
It is against the law to keep one in captivity, and doing so may result in penalties or jail time.
Females deposit two to four eggs in the spring and one more in the autumn.
Having two mating seasons is a fantastic strategy to keep the colony healthy despite being unique.
Males grasp the female by the throat during mating, just like in certain other lizard species.
The Blue-throated Keeled Lizard, on the other hand, is more violent. It bites the neck and holds its bite for a while before releasing it.
5. European Copper Skink
Their sides are dark brownish-black, and they are bronze. Compared to males, females are slightly heavier and longer.
Because of its fixed eyelids, resembling snakes, the European Copper Skink is often called the European Snake-eye.
On the other hand, most of these lizards in Greece have moveable eyelids. Because their limbs are short and fragile, these skinks move in a manner akin to that of snakes.
The males of most other lizard species are bigger to protect their area from other males.
However, in the case of the European Copper Skink, females have the size advantage. This size disparity is believed to give an edge in luring males during the mating season.
Because they are so timid, they would rather spend the day hiding among rocks and leaves.
6. Agama Roughtail Rock
Agama adults can reach a length of 35.5 cm (14 in). Their backs have diamond-shaped patches or creamy yellow to orange stripes contrasting with their grey coloring.
The Roughtail Rock Agama, commonly called the Starred Agama, is remarkable because it can change its color.
For instance, in warmer climates, you might observe that this species’ color is lighter. They develop more vivid colors during the breeding season to draw in partners.
Consider these lizards in Greece to have a mood ring that never goes off!
Due to their tendency to dive into rock crevices to evade predators, these highly shy creatures are quite difficult to locate.
They love rocky, stone-walled, and wooded settings and are excellent climbers.
To get a good look at a Roughtail Rock Agama, wait until midday, when they emerge to sunbathe on garden walls or rocks.
Snails, plant matter, insect eggs, and larvae are all consumed by roughtail rock agamas.
Like other lizards in Greece, these lizards in Greece hibernate in the winter and come out to play right before the mating season.
When females emerge from hibernation, they are about a month ready to mate, and males hunt for a worthy partner nonstop.
7. Snake-eyed Lizard
The Greek Snake-eyed Lizard gets its name because its eyelids are fixed like snakes’. Its translucent scales shield its eyes from dirt and debris.
Apart from this characteristic, it has little similarity to a snake and moves swiftly on branches and rocks using its legs.
They have few predators since they are skilled climbers and difficult to capture. As a result, the species has prospered and seen population growth over time.
Because of their widespread distribution, these lizards in Greece are simple to spot. Wait by a rock during the day, and dozens of them appear to sunbathe.
Invertebrates and insects are snake-eyed lizards’ primary food sources, providing them with energy for the breeding season.
After mating, the female produces two clutches per season, laying two to five eggs.
After a year, the young are ready to follow in their parent’s footsteps and mate and procreate independently. They hatch in the late summer.
8. Erhard’s Wall Lizard
Erhard Wall lizards are solidly grey, brown, and sometimes green. On their backs, females have spots or two white stripes that border two dark stripes.
Males have a white, orange, yellow, or red throat with a design like a net.
Because it is abundant throughout the Aegean archipelago, the Erhard’s Wall Lizard is also known as the Aegean Wall Lizard.
The Erhard’s Wall Lizard is free to travel and thrive on this island chain’s plant-covered dunes and open areas.
Their ideal environment is arid and heavily forested, with patches of rocky ground or low shrubs.
These lizards in Greece mostly consume insects and other arthropods, and they are skilled at hiding from their prey and ambushing them.
Moreover, since new hatchlings are more susceptible to being snatched up by birds, this camouflage is helpful.
Fortunately for baby Erhard’s Wall Lizards, their ability to blend in with their environment and change color is innate.
The female deposits her eggs in the early summer, when mating season begins. She eventually produces the hatchlings about 3 cm (1.2 in) long.
The juvenile lizards are left to fend for themselves after hatching, quickly concealing from predators and locating food.
9. Kotschy Gecko
Kotschy Gecko is next on our list of lizards in Greece. The adult is roughly 4 inches (10 cm) in length. Individuals may be grey, yellowish, reddish-black, or dark brown.
Males are somewhat smaller than females. The females have little tubercles on their backs and slender tails and limbs.
Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy was an explorer, and his name lives on in Kotschy’s Geckos.
Mostly found in lowland regions, these little and exquisite lizards in Greece favor dry, stony spots, cliffs, and the stone walls of structures.
Kotschy’s geckos are nocturnal creatures that avoid direct sunshine, yet you may occasionally spot one in the early morning or late afternoon.
Although they lack the sticky pads that other geckos have, they are quite skilled climbers. They do, however, like to remain nearer the earth.
Due to its size, this lizard is easily preyed upon by birds and other predators; as a result, it seeks refuge in rocky crevices and dense vegetation, and when threatened, it will even cling to the underside of overhangs.
You may identify it by the high-pitched “chick” sound that the male and female make during courting.
10. Common Chameleon
The hues range from light brown to dark brown, with two lighter lines running along either side. Compared to men, females are noticeably larger.
Both their amazing tongue length and capacity for camouflage are well known. One of their lesser-known abilities is the quickness with which they capture their victims.
The tongue of the common chameleon is used to expand and capture insects on the sticky end quickly.
The Common Chameleon is one of the world’s slowest lizards in Greece despite having a rapid tongue.
Using their ability to blend in with their surroundings, they must evade predators and capture prey.
Being extremely still for extended periods is one method that avoids detection.
Two or three toes on each foot allow the common chameleon to balance, climb, and cling to branches.
This reptile also uses its prehensile tail to help with balance and stability.
11. Mediterranean House Gecko
This is one of the lizards most frequently seen in Greece. Even though Mediterranean House Geckos are nocturnal creatures, you can still locate them.
Since they are regarded as an “urbanized” species, they will be just as content to live in your home as in the wild!
The original work was done by Osado in the public domain through Wikipedia.
They are frequently seen on walls, ceilings, and window screens in homes, where they feast on insects drawn to lights.
Look for these lizards in Greece outside in tree trunk cracks or clefts in the rock.
Mediterranean House Geckos are a noisy species that feel at ease in human company.
Males make a sequence of clicks during their mating call, and if they feel threatened, they will squeak.
12. European Wall Lizard
The eyes are big with fixed eyelids, and the pupils are round. They range in color from green and black to brown and gold.
European wall lizards are typically found on rocky outcroppings, especially in urban settings.
They have no fear of humans. On a warm day, you might see one scuttling over a pavement!
You can see these lizards in Greece in buildings just as frequently as you would in the wild because they are so accustomed to being around people.
They frequently like humid weather in the southern portion of their range but can also be found in arid environments in the north.
13. Common Wall Gecko
In Greece, common wall geckos are a common sight. This widespread moniker comes from the fact that these nocturnal lizards in Greece are known to get along well with people and can readily scale your home’s walls.
Don’t let that stop you if you spot one inside, though! It won’t hurt you and might even help you by eating a few bothersome insects.
Shipments of exotic plants and the pet trade have brought common wall geckos, sometimes known as Moorish geckos, to many world regions.
Although they are not usually invasive species that do significant harm, their appetite can affect certain plant species.
14. Common Slow Worm
The Common Slow Worm is the last lizard on our list in Greece. Adults are 40–45 cm (15–18 in) long.
Their heads are the same width as their bodies and are legless, smooth, and scaled.
While some of these lizards in Greece are solid in color, most have stripes along the length of their bodies.
Black, tan, brown, and olive coloring are common. Slow Worms, despite their name, are legless lizards rather than worms at all.
Furthermore, the answer to whether a legless lizard is simply a snake is no!
Regarding animals such as these, the world of reptiles can be somewhat confusing but also incredibly interesting.
Most of a slow worm’s life is buried under rocks, debris, or sand. They can be challenging to locate unless you’re prepared to turn over a few stones!
The capacity to cut off one’s tail to elude a predator is among the most fascinating behaviors exhibited by Slow Worms and numerous other lizards in Greece.
We refer to this ability as Caudal Autotomy. Slow Worms easily break free from predators chasing them or grabbing their tails, allowing them to continue their escape.
