Part of the group of squamata are lizards,

with 5,600 species in the animal kingdom,

most of them are quite harmless but,

the Gila Monster and Mexican Beaded have venom.

They have been on earth for 200 million years,

some possibly as large as a dinosaur,

they live on all continents except Antarctica,

their long tongue is used to smell and explore.

Most lizards are quite harmless but there are two species that can be extremely dangerous, the Mexican Beaded Lizard and the Gila Monster. They carry venom that once injected into an animal or man will make the internal organs liquefy. The lifespan of a lizard in the wild is usually 20-30 years although there is a rare chameleon that lives in Madagascar that has the life span of one year.

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