Reptiles

Lizards

Balkan Green Lizard

Lacerta trilineata

adult female - Lesvos, Greece - May 2006

Balkan Green Lizards range from north-west Croatia, through the Balkan Peninsula to Asiatic Turkey. It generally prefers lower altitudes and drier habitats than the very similar Green Lizard (L. viridis) but has a similar taste for shrubby areas.

adult male - Lesvos, Greece - May 2006

Adult L. trilineata and L. viridis are very difficult to distinguish in places where their ranges overlap. Fortunately on Lesvos this is not a problem as L. viridis is absent from the island.

immature - Lesvos, Greece - May 2006

However, immature Balkan Green Lizards are easily distinguished from immature L. viridis by the number of stripes running down their backs: Balkan has 3 or 5, while L. viridis has either 2 or four stripes.