Lizards are a diverse group of reptiles found across many environments. Many species of lizards do indeed dig holes, a behavior tied to their survival strategies.
Do Lizards Dig Holes?
Digging holes is a common behavior among many lizard species. Creating burrows provides these reptiles with a direct means to manage their environment and protect themselves.
Why Lizards Create Burrows
Lizards create burrows for several important survival-driven reasons. These underground structures offer protection from various predators, including birds, mammals, and other reptiles that might seek them out. By retreating into a burrow, a lizard can quickly disappear from sight, evading potential threats.
Burrows also play a significant role in temperature regulation for lizards. Underground environments maintain more stable temperatures than the surface, allowing lizards to escape extreme heat or cold. This behavior, known as aestivation or brumation, helps them survive harsh conditions.
Many female lizards dig holes specifically for nesting, creating safe and stable environments for their eggs to incubate. The chosen depth and location of these nests help ensure optimal temperature and humidity levels, which are important for the eggs’ development. This maternal behavior protects vulnerable clutches from predators and environmental fluctuations.
Some lizard species also dig to find food. These lizards burrow to access prey living underground, such as insects, grubs, or other invertebrates. This foraging behavior allows them to unearth a hidden meal that might otherwise be inaccessible on the surface.
How to Identify a Lizard Hole
Identifying a lizard hole often involves looking for specific characteristics. Typically, these burrows feature small to medium-sized openings, often circular or oval in shape, usually ranging from 1 to 3 inches across. The entrance to a lizard burrow is generally clean and smooth, indicating frequent use.
Lizard holes often lack the large, obvious piles of excavated dirt or mounds that are characteristic of many mammal burrows. While some species might push small, asymmetrical mounds of dirt away from the entrance, they rarely create extensive soil heaps. These holes are frequently found in concealed spots, such as under rocks, logs, dense vegetation, or at the base of shrubs, providing natural cover and shade.
Lizards Known for Digging
Several lizard species are recognized for their distinct digging habits. Many species of skinks, for instance, are known for burrowing into loose soil or leaf litter. Their streamlined bodies and smooth scales are well-adapted for efficient movement underground, which they use for protection, thermoregulation, foraging, and nesting.
Horned lizards are another group known for their exceptional ability to bury themselves quickly in sand. They rapidly sink into sandy substrates to escape intense heat, cold temperatures, and predators. This burying behavior allows them to disappear almost instantly into their environment.
Gila monsters also utilize burrows extensively for shelter and to regulate their body temperature, spending a significant portion of their lives underground. While they can excavate shallow depressions, they frequently take advantage of existing burrows created by other animals. Some monitor lizard species, such as the Australian monitor, dig large and intricate burrows, or warrens, primarily for laying their eggs. These deep, spiral-shaped burrows, which can extend several meters underground, are so substantial that they often provide shelter for numerous other species.
Differentiating Lizard Holes from Other Animal Burrows
Distinguishing lizard holes from those made by other animals requires observing key differences in their appearance and surrounding features. Rodent burrows, such as those made by rats or mice, tend to be larger, typically 2 to 4 inches in diameter, and often lead to complex tunnel systems. These burrows frequently have distinct, fan-shaped piles of excavated dirt around their entrances, and sometimes show gnaw marks.
Snake holes, in contrast, may be simple and often utilize existing crevices or abandoned burrows. They are typically small, ranging from 1 to 4 inches in diameter, and feature smooth, circular or oval openings without excavated dirt mounds. Snake burrow entrances might also be camouflaged by surrounding vegetation or debris.
Insect burrows, such as those made by cicadas, ants, or wasps, are generally much smaller than lizard holes. They may also exhibit specific structural elements, like the characteristic mounds associated with ant colonies. The absence of large dirt piles, gnaw marks, or extensive, complex tunnel systems often helps indicate that a burrow was created by a lizard rather than another type of animal.