Lizards like snakes lay eggs, though not all are egg baring. Around 10% of lizards have live births. The most common species that are kept in captivity lay eggs (See our full list of egg baring & live baring lizards).

Reptiles such as the blue tongue skink is a live baring lizard, this can be seen as a plus as when lizard eggs are laid, they a vulnerable to being eaten by predators.

Lizard eggs can take up to 90 days to hatch but this largely varies dependant on the species on lizard.

Lizard Egg Laying Process

When a lizard lays its eggs, they will aim to find a spot that is as hidden as possible, this is usually in a small pit where the ground is moist to stop the eggs from drying out.

When a lizard lays its eggs, they are slimy, but they aren’t without reason, as they lay their eggs, the slime will harden and stick the grouping of eggs together, this stops them from rolling. When fresh there is a small pocket of air within the egg which an embryo attaches so the baby lizard can breathe. Once this is in place if the egg rolls or moves to far this will go under the fluid in the egg and actually drown the baby lizard.

So, as the egg ages, the lizard will grow inside until it is ready to hatch. Once this is complete, within the egg a lizard will use its claw, or a very interesting thing called an “egg tooth”. This is a tooth that is designed to pierce the egg and begin the hatching process.

It is not uncommon for both snake and lizards to develop without an egg tooth in the wild and die due to not being able to penetrate their own eggshell.

How Are Lizard Eggs Made

Most people misunderstand how and when the eggs a formed in the female. Just like chickens, if a male does not mate with the female at the right time, she will give birth to infertile eggs.

So, during the mating season the female will go through a cycle in which the eggs are ready to be fertilised by the male, she will give off a scent that a male lizard can smell from large distances and males come.

Live Baring Lizards

  • Horned Lizard
  • Leiolopisma
  • Mabuya
  • Legless Lizard
  • vivparous lizard

How are the eggs fertilised?

There is a misunderstanding as to how and when the eggs a formed in the female. Just like chickens, if a male does not mate with the female at the right time, she will give birth to infertile eggs.

So, during the mating season the female will go through a cycle in which the eggs are ready to be fertilized by the male, she will give off a scent that a male lizard can smell from large distances and males come.

When do they lay eggs?

Just like snakes, lizards have a season which the female starts to produce eggs inside her, this is widely different dependant on the species of lizard. During the breeding season the female’s body would automatically time it so that the eggs have the best conditions to thrive.

It is just the same with how many eggs a female is likely to lay, up to 20 eggs would be a large “clutch”, whereas other such as the crested gecko have just 1 or 2 eggs at a time.

As previously mention, the female will seek a hidden area that has a suitable humidity for the baby lizards. In the wild egg eating animals will continuously look them, at this point the luck of her off-spring depends entire on how well they were hidden.

1 Comment

  1. LIzard

    You should at least name the season that most lizards lay eggs

    Reply

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