Lizards

by Pianka, Eric R.

• ISBN13: 9780520248472
• ISBN10: 0520248473
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-31
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

From 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.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	ix
Foreword	xi
Harry W. Greene
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction: The Logic of Biology	1	(10)
Part One LIZARD LIFESTYLES
Evolutionary History and Phylogeny	11	(8)
Getting Around in a Complex World	19	(22)
Lizards as Predators	41	(22)
Escaping Predators	63	(22)
Social Behavior	85	(22)
Reproduction and Life History	107	(16)
Reflections of the Real World	123	(20)
Part Two LIZARD DIVERSITY
Iguanians	143	(28)
From Geckos to Blind Lizards	171	(22)
From Racerunners to Night Lizards	193	(18)
Skinks	211	(16)
From Girdled Lizards to Knob-Scaled Lizards	227	(12)
Monsters and Dragons of the Lizard World	239	(18)
Part Three SYNTHESIS
Historical Perspective	257	(24)
Lizards and Humans	281	(18)
Appendix: Taxonomic Summary of Lizard Genera	299	(4)
Glossary	303	(4)
References	307	(18)
Index	325