The Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) is a reptile belonging to the family Lacertidae.
It is the most common Italian lizards, it is about 15 cm long (including the tail) but can reach 20-25 cm. It can easily be spotted in the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano. It is mostly frequent in open and sunny areas and in the vicinity of dry stone walls
The wall lizard is a medium sized lizard with very variable morphology. It is highly variable in colous and in patterns but is generally brown or grey.
It breeds between March and April and the males, during this period, are very territorial and aggressive. The mating period may continue until late summer. The young lizards are at birth about 60 mm long. Sexual maturity in females is reached already the 2nd year. The average age in natural populations varies from 4 to 6 years. It feeds especially on insects. Among the most common predators include birds, snakes and some mammals.
The species is inactive from October to March, but in particularly hot days it moves even in winter. The lizards have the distinction of being able to shed their tails if this is grabbed by a possible predator; this part of the body can then reform and grow up to 2 mm per day.
Photo gallery
Video
Notes
Böhme, W., Pérez-Mellado, V., Cheylan, M., Nettmann, H.K., Krecsák, L., Sterijovski, B. & Schmidt, B.. Podarcis muralis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Versione 2010.1