Knowra Iguania Iguania Iguania is a major group of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and their close relatives. Its members are united by evolutionary ancestry rather than a single defining outward appearance.
Squamata : The reptile order containing lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians. Iguania is one of the major lineages within this order.
Acrodont dentition : A tooth attachment pattern in which teeth are fused to the top edges of the jawbones. Acrodont teeth occur in chameleons and many agamids, but not all iguanians.
Chameleon : A lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae, known for independently mobile eyes and specialized tongues. Chameleons are a distinctive iguanian lineage with highly specialized feeding and vision.
Gekkota : A major squamate lineage containing geckos and several related groups. Gekkotans are a major lizard lineage outside Iguania.
Reptile : A vertebrate in the clade Sauropsida, including turtles, crocodilians, birds, and lepidosaurs. Iguanians are reptiles within the broader sauropsid lineage.
Pleurodont dentition : A tooth attachment pattern in which teeth are attached to the inner sides of the jawbones. Pleurodont teeth are common among iguanas and many other iguanians.
Iguana : A large herbivorous lizard genus native to Central and South America and the Caribbean. Iguanas exemplify a familiar, mostly herbivorous branch of Iguania.
Anguimorpha : A squamate lineage that includes monitor lizards, anguids, and several related families. Anguimorphs are another major lizard lineage, distinct from Iguania.
Sauria : A major sauropsid clade that includes lepidosaurs and archosaurs. Iguania belongs within Sauria in modern evolutionary classifications.
Parietal eye : A light-sensitive organ on the head of some vertebrates, distinct from the paired eyes. This organ occurs in several iguanian lineages and can detect light and orientation.
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