Lizard communication

Lizards are a diverse group of reptiles—there are nearly 4500 different lizard species, excluding snakes. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and also vary widely in many aspects of their behavior, such as how they reproduce and forage for food. In addition to this extraordinary diversity in physical and behavioral characteristics, lizards have evolved many interesting ways to communicate.

Lizards rely on many different sensory systems, including the visual, olfactory, and auditory systems. As these sensory systems have become more sophisticated, lizards have developed different modes of communication that incorporate these sensory systems, including visual, chemical, tactile, and vocal communication. Different modes of communication are well suited for different lizard habitats—for example, some function well in wet habitats, while others are suitable only in habitats with low precipitation. Most modes are associates with particular physical and behavioral traits that allow lizards to use them, such as well-developed vision. Different lizard species have unique communication needs, and they have evolved fascinating solutions that are well suited to each species to accommodate these needs.

The process of "communication" refers to the transfer of information between individuals (See Animal Communication for additional discussion). One individual (the signaler) sends information to another individual (the receiver), and the receiver modifies its behavior in response to the information it received. It is important to note that most animals are not communicating vocally, as many humans do. Just because they aren't speaking sentences, however, does not mean information is not being transferred.

Consider for a moment how humans communicate using body language. Even without speaking, we can gain a lot of information about another person simply by observing that person's posture, behavior, and physical appearance. After we assess these various characteristics, we decide how to interact with the person we observed. For instance, we might choose to avoid a person who adopts an aggressive stance and has a flushed face characteristic of someone who is angry or upset. Alternatively, a different set of postures and behaviors can indicate that a person is friendly and welcoming, and we might choose to approach that person after assessing those characteristics.

Similar to this scenario of body language in humans, lizards and other animals gain information about the individuals around them by paying attention to various characteristics exhibited by those individuals. Lizards use many different physical and behavioral traits to communicate, and these traits vary depending on the mode of communication the lizard is using.

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