Do you want to learn about the different kinds of lizards in Eritrea?

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 and interesting facts!

4 Lizards That Live IN Eritrea:

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#1. African Five-lined Skink

• Trachylepis quinquetaeniata

How to identify:

• Females are dark brown and sometimes black, with five longitudinal yellowish stripes that extend from head to tail and include whitish spots. The yellowish stripes on the tail gradually change to blue.
• Males are lighter and do not have stripes but have a light blue stripe on the side of their neck and upper lip.

These small blue-tailed lizards prefer grassland and rocky areas in Eritrea.

Look for African Five-lined Skinks roaming on trees, walls, fences, and buildings. They are often found high up on walls and rocks where they bask in the afternoon sun.

They breed in the summer, where the female lays between 6-10 eggs. The female is protective and will sometimes stay with the nest during incubation.

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#2. Antillean House Gecko

• Hemidactylus angulatus

• Length: 2.2 inches (5.6 cm).
• Lifespan: Up to 7 years.

The Antillean House Gecko is no stranger to humans in Eritrea!

This lizard prefers the safety and shelter of urban settings like towns, cities, and airports. They are great climbers and love roaming walls and stones where they hunt at night, where they sit close to the light and wait for their next meal. Naturally, they are mostly found in trees, where they rest beneath the bark of trees during the day.

The Antillean House Gecko is nocturnal and feeds on cockroaches, arthropods, larvae, and insects.

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#3. Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizard

• Acanthodactylus boskianus

How to identify:

• They have five dark longitudinal stripes, and the middle stripe subdivides at the neck with an olive-grey dorsal.
• The males are larger than females. The female’s tail underside becomes red through the breeding period.

Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizards are extremely active hunters in Eritrea and mainly feed on insects.

When the breeding season arrives, the males set out to secure a female, and she is very particular with whom she mates. Chemicals exude from femoral glands and play a role in sex recognition, courtship, and communication. Males with larger heads are the thing that makes a Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizard female’s heartbeat faster.

Once the male secures a female, he is extremely territorial and will often discourage other males through aggression.

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#4. Variable Skink

• Trachylepis varia

How to identify:

• Blackish, pale brown, olive green, or red-brown back and sometimes has black spots. Look for a clear, white stripe down its backbone with a blueish-white belly.
• There is little difference between males and females except that females live longer.

The Variable Skink prefers dry savanna areas and grassland as their habitat in Eritrea, where they spend their days climbing trees and rocks. They are great hunters and use barks, leaves, and stones to hide under, from which they pounce on their prey.

They waste no time reproducing because their life expectancy is less than two years. Once an individual is eight months old, they are ready to breed, and males set out to find a female.

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Do you want to learn MORE about animals in Eritrea?

Check out these ID Guides!

• 24 Dangerous Predators Found in Eritrea

• 24 Types of Antelopes that live in Eritrea

• 24 Common SPIDERS Found in Eritrea! (w/Pics)

• 27 Common SNAKES That Live in Eritrea! (ID Guide)

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Which of these lizards in Eritrea is your favorite?

Leave a comment below!