A journey through the Museum is a great way to explore the diversity of squamates—legged and legless lizards, including snakes. Found everywhere on Earth but the coldest and highest places, this successful group is represented in many halls.
Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians© AMNH
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Continue your investigation of squamates in this amazing hall. The animals are arranged by themes such as anatomy, defense, locomotion, distribution, reproduction, and feeding. Explore the great range of these animals' physical forms, from the tiniest lizard to the 25-foot-long Reticulated Python, and the widely diverse ways in which they move, protect themselves, chase prey, and reproduce. Exhibits include the Australian Frilled Lizard raising its frill of skin to exaggerate its size to a predator, and the Komodo Dragon stretching its jaws across the belly of a wild boar.
Hall of Vertebrate Origins© AMNH
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Squamates lived at least 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs began to flourish. Since that time many squamate groups have gone extinct, and many new groups have evolved. Look for the fossil of Tylosaurus, an extinct marine-dwelling mosasaur that is over 10 meters (33 feet) long. You'll also find over a dozen fossil casts and skeletons of other ancient and modern squamates set in two glass cases nearby (specimens 11-29).
Hall of Biodiversity© AMNH
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Look for lizards and snakes on the Spectrum of Life wall. Using the How Is Life Classified? interactive, investigate the characteristics and distribution of each squamate. You can also watch a video of squamates in the wild. Then visit the Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest diorama. What squamates can you find in the forest? Look through the Reptiles and Amphibians section of each flipbook to read about the lizards and snakes that live there.
Hall of Ocean Life© AMNH
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Find the sea snake on the vertebrate Tree of Life wall and use the interactive to learn more about this animal, including where it lives and who its close relatives are. Then look for another sea snake in the Coral Reef diorama and explore the ecosystem
in which it lives.
