Herbivorous lizards

04oktober2006
Source, M. van Oijen, EZNC
Eating vegetable food is relatively rare for lizards. Strictly speaking, less than one percent of the lizards can be called herbivorous.
Herbivorous lizards are adapted to be able to profit from low quality food. One of these adaptations is a longer gastrointestinal tract, which enlarges the time food passes through the intestines. This give microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract more time to break down vegetable fibre. The cold-bloodedness (poikilothermic) of lizards works as a limiting factor, as microorganisms need a certain minimum temperature function optimally. Lizards weighing less than a hundred grams will therefore generally speaking never be strict herbivores. This is simply because the energy costs, which are mass specific, are too high for such a small animal. Herbivorous lizards are therefore often big and live in warm environments.