Help identifying a lizard...

[freakowarez]

I bought a lizard at a pet store that was marked a "barking lizard." I had heard of barking geckos but never a barking lizard, so I bought it. When I tried to research it, I couldn't find a single thing on the internet. The lizard is a brown color, and his body is rough. His head however is smooth and looks similar to a snake's head. He is about 6 or 7 inches long, and I have yet to hear him bark...(i've had it for almost a week now) and I have just about come to the conclusion that the pet store is full of it, and I am trying to find the correct species of the lizard...anyone have any ideas? I even read that what classifies a reptile into the gecko family is that it has the ability to vocalize. If that is true, then there can be no such thing as a lizard that barks.

Thanks,
John

P.S. The lizard shares no characteristics of geckos

[thunder]

post pic and we can help
also, what are its requirements and so on?

[DragnDrop]

I've found a few references to barking lizards. Does the one on this page look like it?

http://www.namphong.com/album5/Barking+lizard_jpg_view.htm

Not that I know anything about it, but a picture helps. Can you post a picture of your lizard?

[thunder]

is it possible that the pet store people messed up and it is actually a bark lizard? i have heard xenosaurus referred to as a bark lizard. this may be what you have, considering that you said the head is "snake-like", and xenosaurs have no eyelids or external ear holes, just like snakes.

[thunder]

if you do an online search for xenosaurus grandis, which is the most likely to be in captivity, you will probably find some picks that can help you see whether or not this is what you have.

X. grandis is a nocturnal insectivore, and a live bearer. from tropical mexico, lives in leaf litter and under roots, so i would think humidity and lots of hides. if this is what you have, it is almost certainly WC since i do not know of anyone who is breeding them. hope this helps!

[freakowarez]

I know it wasnt much information to go on. There are really no distinguishing marks on the lizard, and it does not look like the picture that was posted. The requirements are just a heat lamp and a meal of 25 crickets once a week or so. I also keep a bowl of water in there which it lies in frequently. I know a photo would help, but I dont have a digital camera and I can't find a pic of one on the internet obviously. Anyway, thanks for the help so far, maybe someone with experience with a similar lizard will come across this post. I'm actually communicating with the pet store now trying to get the scientific name for the lizard I purchased. Thanks again for the help guys.

John

[freakowarez]

I think you may be right about it being called a bark lizard instead of a barking lizard. I looked at photos of the xenosaurus grandis and it was the closest match I have found yet...the main difference with mine is how smooth the head of my lizard is.

[Leviathan]

Does it look like any of these. By your description the only thing that came to my mind is Alligator lizard.
http://www.wildherps.com/species/E.coerulea.html#shastensis

[freakowarez]

http://gutt.sg.free.fr/Images/lepidophyma.jpg

http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/Lepidophyma_flavimaculatum/lateral.jpg

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/research/Field%20trips/Tortuguero2003/Pics/Lepfla.jpg

There it is guys...its actually a lepidophyma gaigeae, which is slighty different than a couple of these pics (for instance, no yellow spots) but it is also known as a Central American Bark Lizard. Voila...I was ripped off. What is even worse is that the guy actually told me that the lizard barked and from being around him so much, he was a really cool lizard. Oh well...just goes to show you can't trust anyone you don't know.

[manville]

It is a nice lizard!