Logo

Synopsis During recent years there has been a dramatic increase of interest in Indian reptiles with the result that the snakes, crocodiles, and turtles have been described is sufficient detail.  But not much attention has been paid to the lizards despite their abundance and diversity.  Probably the reason why Indians have shown little interest thus far in this fascinating group to reptiles is that they could not find a good book on the subject to guide them. This field book is offered to fill the obvious gap as it provides a ready source of information regarding the identification and natural history of these animals in simple but scientifically accurate language that reads effortlessly.  It is hoped that by using the summaries of diagnostic features of the family, the genus, the illustrations, and the descriptive notes concerning the general build, colour, size, and range of various species, the layman as well as the professional will be able to recognize the majority of our native lizards without getting into the drudgery of scientific terminology.  A special feature of this book is that it covers all the 155 species found in India and the large number of illustration, including one of the two venomous lizards of North America.  The glossary, the general remarks, the vernacular and common names might benefit the general reader while the sections on the classification and bibliography will be helpful for those who wish to extend their detailed knowledge of the lizards of India.  The measurements given for each species refer to the largest specimen and the total length includes the head-and-body or snout to vent length and tail length unless otherwise stated.  The localities cited indicate the range of species in the Republic of India alone although a majority of the species dealt with may also occur in neighbouring countries, the terms 'Whole of India,' 'Throughout India' do not necessarily mean that the particular lizard is abundant but only that it is fairly widespread.