The fictional yellow-spotted lizards in the book “Holes” do not exist in real life. However, there is a real lizard called the yellow-spotted night lizard that lives in Central America.
The yellow-spotted night lizard grows to about 10 inches long. It has yellow spots on its yellow-green body that are hard to see. It lacks venom, fangs, or other ways to kill humans.
In “Holes”, the fictional lizards have 11 yellow spots. As the book says, “By the time you are close enough to count the spots, you are close enough to die.” The lizards in the book can kill with their venomous bite.
In the “Holes” movie, bearded dragons with painted spots portrayed the fictional lizards. Nine tame lizards were used during filming. A children’s non-toxic paint gave them their bright yellow spots.
So while the night lizard is real, the dangerous yellow-spotted lizards from the book “Holes” only exist as imaginary creatures. The real lizard poses no threat to people.
Are there yellow spotted lizards in Texas?
The yellow-spotted lizard lives in Texas to central Mexico. They are nocturnal lizards divided into two subspecies. Yellow spotted lizards are one among the night lizards growing to 12.69cm.
Snakes and large centipedes often occupy decayed logs, and they may be significant predators for yellow-spotted lizards. In captivity, yellow-spotted lizards can eat wax worms and crickets.
It’s more of a myth that the yellow spotted lizard is real. I have not been able to find pictures or info on the yellow spotted lizard therefore it must not be real!
Yellow-spotted night lizards live in subtropical and tropical rain forests of Central America along both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts and at elevations up to 2,265 feet. The lizard prefers damp ground in rainforests, tropical dry forests and subtropical wet forests. It lives under debris, bark, rocks, branches and logs. They also live in caves, rock crevices and tree stumps. At times, some species of the yellow-spotted lizard may live in water. The yellow-spotted lizards like holes offering shade from the sun and protection from birds. Up to twenty lizards may live in one hole.
They are approximately black with yellow spots from snouts to rear flanks. On their tail, the yellow spots are bands. The abdomen is yellow. Their head appears like a snake, smooth, whereas they have tough skin on their body.
Texas alligator lizards grow to 25 inches including the tail. They have flat heads, yellow to brown bodies with a dark brown and white checkered pattern. They have short limbs and regenerating tails, helping distract predators. These are not fast lizards and are not aggressive.
The Plateau Spotted Whiptail Lizard has a small range in southwest Texas in mountains, desert foothills and canyons with sparse plants. They eat insects, flowers and leaves including dandelions! Despite its small range, its population is abundant.
The keeled earless lizard is between two and three inches long with an orange or yellow body and black markings. It doesn’t have ears but has small ridges on its head visible when looking closely.
The Lesser Earless Lizard inhabits arid to semi-arid regions, often in sandy or loamy soils with sparse vegetation.
In parts of Central Texas, the Texas spiny lizard is the most common lizard. The biggest lizard in Texas is the Texas alligator lizard.
Do yellow spotted lizards have sharp teeth?
The yellow lizard has yellow spots, black teeth, and a white tongue. It lives in holes in the desert. The lizard’s venom can kill humans. Stanley survives the lizards because he ate onions. Onions are like medicine against the venom. Stanley was wrongly jailed for stealing shoes.
What is the real name of the yellow spotted lizard?
The yellow-spotted tropical night lizard or yellow-spotted night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum) is a species of night lizard. It is distributed from Mexico through Central America to Panama. The species includes two subspecies.
These nocturnal reptiles inhabit rainforests, spending their lives concealed in damp areas with prey. They’re usually shy but can become fierce when handled. As they are reclusive, scientists lack reliable population numbers.
The Yellow Spotted Lizard or Tropical Night Lizard belongs to the Xantusiidae family of lizards, known as Night Lizards. The species in this family are small, usually 4-15cm long. There are only 3 genera with around 35 different species. There are also several extinct species classified under this family.
One of the most distinctive features is the pair of unique horns on its head used for fighting during mating season. As its name implies, this lizard is covered in yellow spots randomly scattered over its body. These spots are highly variable, making each lizard unique. The bright yellow spots stand out against the dark brown or grey background.
The scientific name for the yellow-spotted lizard is Lepidophyma flavimaculatum. The correct non-scientific name is yellow-spotted tropical night lizard. Although native to the Americas, it lives in a small range, from Mexico to Panama. The nocturnal lizard attains a length around 12.5 cm (5 inches). In the wild, it can live up to 15 years.