REPTILES
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane. Today they are represented by four surviving orders:
Crocodilia (crocodiles, caimans and alligators): 23 species.
Sphenodontia (tuataras from New Zealand): 2 species.
Squamata (lizards, snakes and amphisbaenids ("worm-lizards")): approximately 7,900 species.
Testudines (turtles): approximately 300 species.
LIZARD CLASSIFICATION
Infraorder Iguania
Family Corytophanidae (casquehead lizards)
Family Iguanidae (iguanas and spinytail iguanas)
Family Phrynosomatidae (earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards)
Family Polychrotidae (anoles)
Family Crotaphytidae (collared and leopard lizards)
Family Opluridae (Madagascar iguanid
Family Hoplocercidae (wood lizards, clubtails)
Family Chamaeleonidae (chameleons)
Infraorder Gekkota
Family Gekkonidae (geckos)
Family Pygopodidae (legless lizards)
Family Dibamidae (blind lizards)
Infraorder Scincomorpha
Family Scincidae (skinks)
Family Lacertidae (wall lizards or true lizards)
Family Teiidae (tegus and whiptails)
Family Gymnophthalmidae (spectacled lizards)
Infraorder Diploglossa
Family Anguidae (glass lizards)
Family Anniellidae (American legless lizards)
Family Xenosauridae (knob-scaled lizards)
Infraorder Platynota (Varanoidea)
Family Varanidae (monitor lizards)
Family Lanthanotidae (earless monitor lizards)
Family Helodermatidae (gila monsters)
Family Mosasauridae (marine lizards)
LIZARDS
Lizards are reptiles, which means they are cold-blooded, lay eggs, and covered by scales instead of feathers or fur. Different types of lizards might live in trees, underground, on the banks of rivers, or in the desert. Some varieties eat insects, others fruit, and still others prey on small mammals. They come in all colors and sizes, equipped with innovative methods of defense, reproduction, and predation.
TYPICAL LIZARDS
Typical lizards are hardy and easily kept in captivity though they move very quickly. The structure of their tail supports fast zigzag movements and very accurate jumps that are needed to catch their insect prey. They are all insectivores. Many will breed easily in captivity. Most are egg layers though some give live birth.
Common House Lizard (Lacerta vivipara /Hemidactylus flaviviridis )
The house lizard is actually beneficial to us because it eats up the insect pests that invade our homes. It can be seen running up the wall and upside-down on the ceiling. The house lizard can clingto walls because its footpads are covered with uncountable little hairs which are sort of like the fibres on your toothbrush, and each of these tiny hairs has a tiny suction cup on the end. The microscopic hairs function as an adhesive and prevent the lizard from falling down.
When chased by an enemy, the lizard can shed its tail at will, by a process called autotomy, meaning literally "self cutting". Eventually, a new tail will grow in its place. The common house lizard has five wide toe pads that help it to walk up walls.
Lizards are best controlled inside buildings by excluding them !
IMPORTANCE
ATTENTION
APPRECIATION
TO BE LIKED
BEST
WIN
AMBITIOUS
INDEPENDANT
LOVE FOR EXCESS MONEY , FAME
WORLDLY POSSESSIONS
SELFISH
GREED , UNSATISFIED , WANT MORE
PLAYFUL , JOVIAL ,FUN LOVING
TRAVEL
DANCE , MUSIC
CARS
CHEAT
LIE
TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF
WRONGED (rape , molest , abuse)
RIGHT-WRONG
DUTY
RESPONSIBILITY
JUSTICE , FAIR
HONEST
TRUST
NEEDS FAMILY :
•IDENTITY
•LOVE ,CARE
•ATTACHMENT
•GUIDANCE , ADVICE (stupid , cannot take decision)
•INSTILLATION OF VALUES
•SUPPORT
•COMPANY DESIRES OF
•CANNOT SURVIVE ALONE
•FEELS WEAK , DEPENDANT , HELPLESS
NOT SPEAK
KEEP QUIET
ADJUST
COMPROMISE
SUPPRESS
CONTROL (anger , jealousy , greed , violence , aggression)
FEELS CURBED , CLOSED IN
LIKE A CAGED ANIMAL
LOCKED , SECLUDED , DESOLATE
RESTRICTED IN PRISON
CONSTRICTED , CHOKED
CRUSHED
FREEDOM
LIBERTY
DO THINGS MY WAY
DO WHATEVER I WANT
SOCIAL PLEASURES
FEAR OF NON - ACCEPTANCE
FEAR ALONE
NEGLECTED
LEFT OUT
DIRTY
DISGUST
INFERIORITY COMPLEX
AWKWARD
ODD
IN-LAWS
FEAR / DREAM / DELUSION :
•BEING CHASED , MURDERED , KILL
•WATER
•FALLING
•FIRE , EXPLOSION
•FIGHTS
•GHOSTS
•EARTHQUAKE , VOLCANO
•ANIMALS
–LIZARD , CROCODILES , ALLIGATORS, WORMS , SNAKES , INSECTS
Bridge between source & theme
As they cling for support to the walls they have adapted to - for food & survival ;the humans try hard to exclude them from their midst .
Helpless & dependant they strive to get in, & once they are in - feel a captive of the concrete walls & human society they have chosen for survival .
This then is the conflict of the lizard expressed in it’s prototype the CHL .
The theme of the patient in the delusional state of CHL is ………
LIZARDS - theme
The lizard desires attention , importance , to be the best ……like other competitive animals.
They also feel weak , dependant & need family for guidance (strontium).
Again like the other animals they then feel wronged , harmed , hurt , tortured by the very people they are dependant on.
They want to retaliate , speak out , take revenge (snakes-reptiles) but can’t for fear of bad opinion of others , non - acceptance & being left alone without support.
They feel split between the desire to retaliate & guilt & fear of losing support if they do.
Thus this not expressing & lack of independence makes them feel locked , curbed , closed like a caged animal & they long for freedom & independence.
IGUANAS - pets !
The Iguana family is the largest of the lizard families,consisting of 60 genera with over 700 species.
Iguanas are a popular type of lizard because they make friendly pets. In the wild, some species of iguana can grow quite large while they roam through arid and temperate climates. They're entirely vegetarian, snacking on leaves and sweet fruits. Their main defense is their sharply spiked tail that they can whip around when feeling threatened. Green varieties stay up in trees while brown iguanas stick to the ground, digging burrow.
IGUANAS - PET OR PEST !
Iguanas are difficult, frustrating, complicated, complex--and potentially dangerous as pets !
IGUANAS - PET OR PEST !
Regular, consistent, gentle handling is absolutely necessary to tame iguanas and keep them tame and manageable as they get larger.Often a new iguana is quite docile for the first few days after he is brought home.
At first the iguana may have been too nervous and intimidated by his new surroundings to assert himself. However, as the iguana becomes more comfortable he is more likely to show his displeasure with handling & starts showing signs of aggression .
Taming requires gaining trust, and this is something that will not happen overnight - trust must be earned over time. Taming is also a balance between not pushing too hard and showing the iguana who is in charge. You have to be firm and persistent without completely stressing out the iguana. but try to make it clear that you are making the decisions and in charge of the interaction.
Iguanas also need lots of real sunlight.
Many pet iguanas have died from metabolic bone disease,this is caused from a lack of vitamin D.
Marine iguanas spend plenty of time laying on the beach and the rocks at the beach. They jump off the cliffs and dive into the ocean so that they can get to the plant life at the bottom for food. They are also vegetarians and there diet is derived from plant life in the ocean.
The Marine Iguana is an endangered species and are not being properly protected.
CHAMELEON- A Truly Bizarre Lizard
The name "chameleon" means, "Earth lion" and is derived from the Greek words "chamai" (on the ground, on the earth) and "leon" (lion).
Almost half of the world’s chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar. This chameleon community is not only the world’s largest, it is also the world’s most unique.
Chameleons are famous for their ability to change their skin color to blend in with their surroundings. But experts say camouflage is only half the story of the tropical lizard's remarkable trait."Communication is also partly the function of coloration”.
With color, chameleons can communicate with others, expressing attitudes such as their willingness to mate. Instead, their skin changes in response to temperature, light, and mood.
"Most of the time, chameleons are behaving as highly cryptic animals trying to avoid detection from predators,"
A chameleon’s colorful beauty is truly skin deep. Under the transparent outer skin are two cell layers that contain red and yellow pigments, or chromatophores. Below the chromatophores are cell layers that reflect blue and white light. Even deeper down is a layer of brown melanin . Levels of external light and heat, and internal chemical reactions cause these cells to expand or contract. A calm chameleon, for example, may exhibit green, because the somewhat contracted yellow cells allow blue-reflected light to pass through. An angry chameleon may exhibit yellow, because the yellow cells have fully expanded, thus blocking off all blue-reflected light from below
Chameleons have many other features that distinguish them from their lizard cousins. They are the only lizards with zygodactyle feet, or pincers. These grasping feet are ideal for tree climbing. Chameleons also have an extremely extensile tongue. The tongue is used to snap up insects and out-of-reach food, and can be up to twice the length of a chameleon’s body. Also distinctive are the independently moveable eyes, which allow chameleons the ability to survey the world with nearly 360-degree vision.
When prey is located, both eyes can be focused in the same direction, giving sharp stereoscopic vision and depth perception.
They lack a vomeronasal organ. Like snakes, they don't have an outer or a middle ear and seem to be deaf; at least they cannot detect airborne sounds. But some, maybe all, can communicate via vibrations that travel through solid material like branches.
UVA is actually part of the visible spectrum for Chameleons. Primarily this wavelength affects the way a chameleon perceives its environment and the resultant physiological effects. Chameleons exposed to UVA light show increased social behaviour and activity levels, are more inclined to bask and feed and are also more likely to reproduce as it has a positive effect on the pineal gland.
CHAMELEON - theme
Key theme that differentiates chameleon from other lizards is the need to camouflageor hide one’s true colors .
The need to camouflage comes from the common need to have company of family for guidance & support.To be able to do that one needs TO MERGE with the group.
To be part of the group one needs to have a good impression for which one needs to camouflage the “ BAD PART OF ONESELF”…..(the anger , revenge , jealousy , competition , one upmanship)
Thus there is always fear of losing control.
There is also a feeling that everybody else around camouflages the ‘ bad ‘ & thus the inability to trust anybody because you don’t know what their true colors are or at what point they are going to show their true colors.
MONITOR LIZARD
Monitors belong to the family Varanidae. Some are small reptiles of less than a foot in length, while the Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard, grows to 364 lb. All monitors are tropical reptiles. They are active lizards, that may be very hostile, lashing out with their tails upon the slightest provocation. Even a small monitor can produce a stinging lash with its tail.
Varanid lizards, including the Komodo dragon, are indeed venomous and do not produce strains of deadly bacteria as previously thought. However, instead of injecting the venom into prey from fangs like most of their snake cousins do, the venom stays around the base of the teeth.Some, if not all, monitor lizards are capable of parthenogenesis.
Monitor lizards are considered to be the most highly developed lizards, possessing a relatively rapid metabolism for reptiles, several sensory adaptations that benefit the hunting of live prey, and a lower jaw that may be unhinged to facilitate eating large prey animals.
The claws of monitors are long and sharp. The jaws are very strong. Once they bite something it is very difficult to get them to let go.
It has been said that the name of monitor lizards is derived from a superstition that the creatures would give a warning about the presence of crocodiles. However, this explanation may be apocryphal.
Many species hold their heads erect on their long necks, which gives them the appearance of being alert. They intimidate predators by lashing out with their tails, inflating their throats, hissing loudly, turning sideways, and compressing their bodies.
They are mostly terrestrial, but many are agile climbers and good swimmers. The tail is somewhat compressed in tree dwellers, very compressed in semiaquatic monitors.
DIET: All monitors are carnivorous. There diet ranges from bugs while they are young to mice, frogs, birds, and lizards smaller than themself.
REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:
Combat between males is frequently observed during the breeding season in some species.
The Gila monster - Heloderma suspectum
This ferocious-looking lizard got its name from the Gila Basin in Arizona.
Physical Characteristics :
The Gila monster is one of two known venomous lizards, the other being the Mexican beaded lizard, Heloderma horridum. It is a stout animal which usually weighs 3 - 5 pounds. Its length varies from 12 - 24 inches for an adult
The Gila monster has skin which feels granular or bumpy. The bumpy scales on the upper body gradualy turn into plate-like scales on the underbelly. The coloration of the skin is black with contrasting pink, yellow or orange. This animal has five toes on each foot with claws that are short and sharp.
Habitat
The Gila monster seems to prefer an area which is wet enough to support shrub life. They are found more often in the rockier, wetter desert scrub but they are also found in drier, sandier areas. They prefer rocky foothills to open land or agricultural areas.
In the wild Gila monsters eat small mammals, lizards, frogs, insects, carrion, birds and birds' eggs. They hunt primarily with their sense of taste and smell instead of with their eyes. They grab their prey and subdue it with their jaws and teeth. They have poison glands which are modified salivary glands. Nonetheless, venom flows into the bite wounds after infliction.
Social Habits
Gila monsters are solitary creatures who are inactive most of the time. They hide under rocks and also in burrows. Sometimes they steal burrows from other animals but they can also dig their own. The Gila monster does hibernate in winter, using the fat in its tail as sustenance. In the summer, this lizard is active only at twilight in order to aviod the heat. When this animal is threatened it uses a burrow for escape or it will inflate its body for intimidation.
This animal has evolved to fit in well with its surroundings. The colorful, beadlike skin of this creature is great camouflage in the desert. Its claws are great for digging burrows and for digging out other animals' eggs. The tongue is a very important feature. It helps the Gila monster to hunt and to receive information about its surroundings via scent. These scents are transformed into a specialized taste organ called Jacobsen's organ. The fat storage in the tail has also proven to be very important to the survival of the Gila monster during times in which food supply is diminished.
HELODERMA - theme
Gila monster is one of the two poisonous lizards found in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico.
It is found in dry desert habitat near water beds & in volcanic areas & hence dreams include dr : of dry dusty road
dr / fear / del : volcano , water.
The fact that it is poisonous is expressed in its fear & dreams of being poisoned.
In its proving it causes intense COLDNESS at the level of mind & body which is one of the important characteristics to prescribe heloderma.
The main feeling of heloderma is the feeling of powerlessness when alone & hence a need for someone as a guide & power.
However on feeling provoked or somebody entering the space they have anger & aggression with desire to strike, punch & even to kill.
This violence is often without remorse or much emotion where it resembles Androctonus which came again & again in the proving of heloderma as dr : scorpion to symbolize the common state that they share.
The theme of cold anger & of cold rage is also a very intense theme in Androc.