554 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



habits Queensland and northern Australia and reaches a length 

 of about three feet. The skin at the sides of the neck is ex- 

 panded into a sort of frill, and when the animal is irritated, 

 this frill is extended by means of rib-like horns of the hyoid 

 apparatus. 



Family Iguanid^e. — New World Lizards. — All but three 

 of the forty-eight genera belonging to this family are confined 

 to America. The habits of these lizards vary considerably. 

 Some are arboreal; others terrestrial; and still others semi- 

 aquatic. The anoles, often called chameleons, the iguanas, 



the swifts, and the 

 horned " toads " 

 are the best- 

 known groups. 



The genus 

 Anolis contains 

 over one hundred 

 species. These 

 are mostly small, 

 with a long, 

 slender tail. They 

 have the power of 

 changing color 

 rapidly and are 

 popularly called 

 " chameleons." They are enabled to run about on smooth, 

 vertical surfaces by lamellae under the central portion of each 

 toe. Anolis carolinensis, the American " chameleon," is 

 common in the southeastern United States and in Cuba. 



The iguanas range from the southwestern United States south- 

 ward through tropical South America. The marine iguana, 

 Amblyrhynchus cristatus, lives on the Galapagos Islands. 

 Colonies of these iguanas, many of the individuals being over 

 four feet long, inhabit the sea-coast and feed on seaweed. The 

 common iguana, Iguana tuberculata (Fig. 456), reaches a length 





Fig. 456. — The common iguana, Iguana tuberculata. 

 (From Gadow.) 



