Temperate Lizards

🦎 Temperate-Climate Lizards in the Pet Trade

✅ Common to Semi-Common Species

1. Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

  • Region: Northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan

  • Climate: Semi-arid/temperate

  • Notes: Popular beginner lizard, brumates in wild.

2. Blue-Tongue Skinks (Tiliqua scincoides, Tiliqua nigrolutea)

  • Region: Australia (esp. SE & Tasmania)

  • Climate: Seasonal temperate

  • Notes: Eastern and Blotched species live in cooler climates and may brumate.

3. Argentine Black and White Tegu (Salvator merianae)

  • Region: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay

  • Climate: Subtropical to temperate

  • Notes: Capable of deep brumation; very intelligent.

4. European Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

  • Region: Europe (also introduced in North America)

  • Climate: Temperate

  • Notes: Active in warm months, brumates in winter.

🌿 Less Common or Exotic, but Sometimes Kept

5. Alligator Lizards (Elgaria spp. & Gerrhonotus spp.)

  • Region: Western US, Mexico

  • Climate: Temperate woodlands, coastal chaparral

  • Notes: North American native; secretive but hardy.

6. Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

  • Region: Europe to Siberia

  • Climate: Cold-temperate to subarctic

  • Notes: Gives live birth; one of the most cold-tolerant reptiles.

7. Caucasian Agama (Paralaudakia caucasia)

  • Region: Central Asia, Caucasus

  • Climate: Temperate rocky steppes

  • Notes: Tough lizard adapted to seasonal mountain climate.

8. Steppe Runner (Eremias arguta)

  • Region: Central Asia

  • Climate: Temperate dry grasslands

  • Notes: Fast, active diurnal lizard; increasingly available.

9. Russian Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis)

  • Region: Central & Eastern Europe, parts of Russia

  • Climate: Temperate forests, meadows

  • Notes: Less commonly captive bred but sometimes available in Europe.

10. Prehensile-Tailed Skink (Solomon Island Skink) (Corucia zebrata)

  • Note: NOT temperate – tropical — included only for contrast because many assume all skinks are tropical. This one is not from a temperate zone.

⚠️ Care Considerations for Temperate Lizards

  • Seasonal cues: Some need seasonal changes (photoperiod, temperature) to thrive or reproduce.

  • Brumation: Essential for some species to remain healthy long-term.

  • Cooler housing: Many prefer ambient temps lower than desert or rainforest species.

  • Legal status: Some, like Elgaria or Zootoca, may be protected or restricted in trade.