11 Types of Lizards Found in Andorra (2025)
Do you want to learn about the different lizards in Andorra?
If so, you’ve come to the right place! In the article below, I have listed the lizards you can expect to see. For each species, you’ll find out how to identify that lizard correctly, along with pictures, interesting facts, and RANGE MAPS!
11 Lizards IN Andorra:
#1. Italian Wall Lizard
- Podarcis siculus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 15-25.5 cm (6-10 in) long.
- Their coloring is green or brown on the back with a light green or white belly.
- Males have larger heads, and Females have a distinctive striped pattern.
Italian Wall Lizards in Andorra can be difficult to identify.
Their colors are varied because they can change color to adapt to certain environments. For example, individuals that spend more time in green vegetation might be greenish, while those that live in rocky areas are more brown or tan.
You can often find Italian Wall Lizards basking in the sun to warm up after a chilly evening. For their habitat, they prefer shrubby vegetation, sandy and rocky shores, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas.
This species spends most of the day hunting for small mammals and other lizards. They also eat small mollusks, crustaceans, and occasionally plant matter. Interestingly, some populations have increased their plant diet in recent years, making them more omnivores than carnivores.
#2. Catalonian Wall Lizard
- Podarcis liolepis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 15-20 cm (6-8 in) long.
- Generally, they are greyish brown with subtle stripes and spots and a cream underside.
- Females have more prominent stripes.
Catalan Wall Lizards are named for their ability to climb walls, which can be a surprising thing to witness for the first time. These crafty lizards can scurry around so quickly that they’re easy to miss, but you’ll never forget the first time you see one dart behind a picture frame!
Houses and buildings are a perfect habitat for this species because they can feast on insects and small pests inside these structures. Interestingly, the Catalan Wall Lizard loves cold winters, and its natural habitat is mountainous terrain.
After hibernating during the winter, males quickly find a female to mate with. During springtime, the female looks for cracks in rocks or cavities under stones to lay eggs. She lays one to five eggs, which will hatch after about eight weeks at the beginning of July.
#3. Large Psammodromus
- Psammodromus algirus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 17-30 cm (7-12 in) long.
- Their coloring is brown on the back, with darker sides and a lighter belly.
- Males’ throats become orange during the mating season.
Large Psammodromus might not be the largest lizard in Andorra, but they are intimidating!
They’re known for their incredible speed, eyesight, and hearing, which they use to hunt grasshoppers, flies, spiders, and ants. Although this species is a great hunter, it also uses camouflage to ambush prey that gets too close.
These fearsome animals are no more gentle during mating than they are while hunting. The male grips the female around the throat to mate, and although it doesn’t hurt the female, it is quite violent-looking. The red-eyed hatchlings emerge between August and October.
Unsurprisingly, males are fierce fighters when defending their territory and if a predator attacks them. They won’t hesitate to bite viciously, and they make a high squeaky sound to scare the attacker.
#4. Green Iberian Wall Lizard
- Podarcis virescens
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 4-6 cm (1.5-2 in) long.
- Their coloring varies from nearly white to brown or black. Most have a yellowish underside.
- Males turn noticeably greenish during spring.
The Green Iberian Wall Lizard lives near villages, cities, mountains, and rivers in Andorra. They’re much easier to spot in the spring because they turn green in preparation for breeding. However, their drab brown color in the other seasons allows them to blend in with rocks and vegetation.
Despite their unassuming looks, males are extremely dominant and territorial. They often fight with others of the same species to assert a mating hierarchy. It’s common for a single male to mate with several females during the breeding season.
Once the mating process is complete, the female will lay around three to four clutches of eggs each year. These clutches typically contain four to seven eggs and are usually deposited under rocks. Once they hatch, the young lizards hunt and live independently with little help from their parents.
#5. Italian Slowworm
- Anguis veronensis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults grow up to 45 cm (18 in) long.
- Their coloring is a uniform gray to brownish.
- Females are larger and have a copper sheen with two black stripes
- In the breeding season, males have electric blue spots.
As its name suggests, this lizard in Andorra isn’t very fast.
The Italian Slowworm prefers woodlands, heathland, and grassland, where it can find shelter to remain safe. Compost heaps are one of their favorite hangouts because they can eat as many insects and plant materials as they want! Think of it like a high-end slowworm buffet. 🙂
Due to their slow speed, Italian Slowworms shed their tails to escape predators. When this happens, the tail twitches on the ground, so hopefully, the predator will go after it and leave the lizard alone! The regenerated tail is shorter and more gray than the original one.
Unfortunately, humans often mistake these lizards for snakes and kill them out of fear. However, if you know what to look for, these legless lizards are easily distinguishable from a snake. Here are the differences to help you identify an Italian Slowworm:
- Slowworms have eyelids and ear openings, which snakes lack.
- Snakes have wide jaws that can be unhinged to consume large prey, while slowworms’ jaws are fixed.
- Slowworms have unforked or notched tongues, whereas snakes’ tongues are completely forked.
#6. Common Chameleon
- Chamaeleo chamaeleon
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 20-40 cm (8-16 in) long.
- Colors vary from yellow/brown to dark brown, with two light-colored lines along their sides.
- Females are significantly larger than males.
The Common Chameleon is one of the most well-known lizards in Andorra!
This is the only chameleon species native to Andorra, as most species live in warmer, more humid climates. Their camouflaging ability is well-known, as is the incredible length of their tongues. One lesser-known talent is the speed with which it catches its prey. The Common Chameleon uses its tongue to rapidly extend and catch insects on the sticky end.
Despite its quick tongue, the Common Chameleon is one of the slowest lizard species in the world. They must capitalize on their camouflage skills to avoid predators and catch prey.
One of the ways it goes undetected is to remain incredibly still for long periods. The Common Chameleon has two or three toes on each foot to help it balance, climb, and hold on to branches. To improve its stability, this reptile also uses its prehensile tail to improve its balance.
#7. Iberian Emerald Lizard
- Lacerta schreiberi
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults grow up to 13.5 cm (5 in) long, and their tails are about 24 cm (9.5 in).
- They are bright green across the body, limbs, and head with a bright turquoise throat.
The Iberian Emerald Lizard in Andorra is known for its beautiful green and blue coloring.
Look for this species near shrubby vegetation in forests, pastures, and meadows near rivers. Although it has a wide variety of acceptable habitats, its population is threatened by habitat loss from farming and land development.
The Iberian Emerald Lizard is insectivorous, meaning it mainly feeds on insects. Still, with its size and power, it is known to feast on smaller lizards if insects aren’t plentiful. These surprisingly large lizards can handle sizeable meals and spend most of their day hunting. So, keep alert, and you may spot one eating or basking on rocks!
#8. Common Wall Lizard
- Podarcis muralis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are up to 20 cm (8 in) long.
- The pupils are round, and the eyes are large with immovable eyelids.
- Their coloring varies from shades of brown and gold to green and black.
European Wall Lizards are commonly found in urban areas and rocky outcroppings. They’re unafraid of people. You might find one scurrying across a sidewalk on a warm day!
These lizards are so comfortable around people that it’s just as likely to see them in a building as in the wild. They often prefer humid climates in the southern part of their range, but in the north, you can find them in dry habitats.
#9. Common Slow Worm
- Anguis fragilis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 40-45 cm (15-18 in) long.
- They are smooth, scaled, and legless, with heads that are the same width as their bodies.
- Often these lizards have stripes that run the length of their bodies, but some are solid in color. Common coloring is olive, brown, tan, and black.
Despite their name, Slow Worms are not worms at all but rather legless lizards. And if you’re wondering whether a legless lizard is just a snake, the answer is no! The reptile world can get confusing but no less fascinating when it comes to creatures like these.
Slow Worms spend most of their time buried in sand or underneath rocks and debris. They can be hard to find unless you’re willing to upend some stones in your search!
One of the most interesting behaviors of Slow Worms and many other lizards is the ability to sever their tail to escape a predator. This skill is called Caudal Autotomy. If a predator is chasing a Slow Worm or grabs its tail, the lizard simply breaks it off and continues to escape.
#10. Viviparous Lizard
- Zootoca vivipara
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 5-7 cm (2-3 in) long.
- Their skin is mottled brown, tan, and black.
- They have long tails compared to their body; however, if their tails are lost to predators, only a short stub grows back.
These tiny lizards are tough when it comes to cool weather in Andorra, and they will hibernate through the worst of winter, from October to March. They must bask in the sun to maintain their body temperature in the summer, so you’re likely to see them during the day.
Viviparous Lizards are named for their method of reproduction. Instead of laying eggs like most other reptiles, these lizards give birth to live young! It’s thought that this gives their offspring a better chance of survival because they don’t have to survive through a helpless stage of egg development. Interestingly, in some regions, this lizard does lay eggs, which may have to do with a lack of predators in the area.
#11. Sand Lizard
- Lacerta agilis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 18-20 cm (7-8 in) long.
- Males are green with a brown stripe on the back and brown hind legs.
- Females are light brown with darker brown mottling.
As its name suggests, this lizard prefers dry habitats in Andorra.
Look for sand lizards in rock gardens, beaches, dunes, or rocky outcrops. They spend most of the day in the open, basking in the sun to retain as much heat as possible. You’re likely only to see one at a time because these territorial lizards rarely bask together.
While basking, Sand Lizards need to remain alert to the many predators that view them as a tasty snack. Birds of prey, foxes, and cats appear to be some of the most common dangers for these lizards. However, they’re also hunted by snakes and badgers. When confronted by danger, they use their exceptional speed to flee. They can also separate their tail from the rest of their body to get away!
Do you want to learn about MORE animals in Andorra?
Check out these ID Guides!
Which of these lizards in Andorra have you seen?
Leave a comment below!
