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Female green lizard on the Sas Hill, Budapest

Occurs on grassy and bushy habitats both on lowland and rocky hillsides.

(Photo: Judit Vörös)

The GREEN LIZARD is the largest lizard in Hungary. Males brilliant emerald green with black speckles. Back of females usually mottled, with a light green mid-dorsal band bordered by creamy white lines two-three scales wide. Belly and underside of legs bright yellow in males, pale yellow or greenish in females. Throat of males bright blue during breeding season, fading later. Throat of females usually off-white with black speckles. Juveniles differ in colouration from adults: ground colour brown, with dark blotches along the middle of the back, often bordered by two creamy white lines, and with a row of light pearly dots on each side of body and an off-white belly.

Distibution map by our National Herpetological Mapping Program:

Male green lizards display vivid colours in breeding season 

Green lizard often occurs on loess and sandy grasslands.

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)

Large male green lizard

The green lizard is the largest lizard in Hungary. Its tail, as in most other lizards of the reagion, exeeds body in length.

(Photo: Judit Vörös)

Male green lizard displaying vivid colours in breeding season

The throat of males turns bright blue during the breeding season.

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)

Female green lizard

The pattern and coloration of some females resemble that of the sand lizard. Somtimes experienced eyeas are needed for the correct identification.

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)

Male green lizard with abnormally regenerated tail

As in many lizards in the region, occasionally green lizards too have forked tails as a result of abnormal regeneration. It is not a genetic abnormality!

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)

Blue headed male green lizard

In some males the blue colour spreads over the entire head.

(Photo: Judit Vörös)

Male (up) and female (down) green lizards

The throats of males are bright blue in the breeding season while in females it remains off white.

(Photo: Gábor Szelényi)

Male green lizard at the end of the breeding season

As the breeding season comes to an end, males loose their costly blue colour of their throats.

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)

Green lizard hatchlings

Green lizards are brown in their first months.

(Photo: Bálint Halpern)