CLASS REPTILIA 



415 



Figure 285. The American chameleon or green anole (Anolis). Anoles have great power to 

 change their color (green to dark brown) and they are often sold for pets. About 6 inches long. 

 (Courtesy of N.Y. Zoological Society.) 



Figure 286. A horned "toad" {Phrynosoma) , not a toad, but a common lizard in the arid 

 western and southwestern states. Natural size, 6 inches long. (Courtesy of the American Museum 

 of Natural History.) 



lizards are known only from the Old World. 

 The largest of all the lizards is the dragon 

 lizard of Komodo {Varanus) which lives on 

 some of the small islands in the Dutch East 

 Indies. The natives of the island of Komodo 

 claimed that dragons existed on the island; 

 and, in 1914, these "dragons" were dis- 

 covered to be the largest living lizards. They 

 reach a length of 9 feet and a weight of over 

 250 pounds; they are ferocious reptiles able 

 to capture wild pigs and other animals on 



which they feed. They readily lose their 

 ferocity and become quite tame in captivity. 



Snakes 



Snakes resemble lizards in many of their 

 anatomic features. They differ from them in 

 at least 4 respects: (1) the right and left 

 halves of the lower jaw are not firmly united, 

 but are connected by an elastic ligament, 

 (2) there is no pectoral girdle, (3) the uri- 



