There are few animals on earth which have as frightening an appearance for their size as some lizards! Yet of all the more than 2,500 different kinds of lizards, only two are-actually poisonous. These are the Gila monster, which lives in American deserts, and the beaded lizard of Mexico.

Lizards are closely related to snakes, and, like snakes, are cold-blooded reptiles with scaly skins. Unlike the snakes, however, their long bodies are usually divided into three distinct parts; head, trunk, and tail. Most species have four legs.