Approximately 14 percent of the world's reptiles are geckos. These small lizards are carnivorous, eating insects, bugs and arachnids. The majority of geckos hunt for food at night. Geckos are apt tree climbers and regularly vocalize for social interactions. These lizards have specialized scales on their feet, which enable them to climb trees with ease.
Monitors are medium to large lizards found in tropical regions throughout the world. Some monitor species are the Savannah monitor, Nile monitor and the Komodo dragon, one of the largest reptiles in the garden. Similarly to snakes, monitors are carnivorous and swallow their prey whole. Birds, small mammals, snakes, crustaceans, insects and bird eggs are all part of a monitor's diet. Monitors are diurnal creatures, meaning they are active during the day.
Native to Central and South America's tropical forests, iguanas are arboreal lizards, meaning they spend most of their time in trees. These lizards have spines on their tails and dorsal area; when threatened, iguanas whip opponents with their tails. In spite of their fearsome appearance, iguanas are herbivorous and their diet consists of berries, plants and nuts; occasionally, iguana eat insects or carrion -- dead animals.
Gila monsters and beaded lizards are venomous reptiles native to the deserts of the American Southwest and North Mexico. Both lizards belong to the Heloderma genus of reptiles. Rather than inject venom -- like snakes -- gila monsters and beaded lizards hang onto their prey once they bite; this allows neurotoxins to work its way into the prey's blood system. These lizards prey on newborn mammals and bird or reptile eggs. Beaded lizards store fat in their tails; they consume the fat when food is scarce.
Skinks are small lizards -- approximately 4 to 6 inches long -- with short legs. Some skinks resemble snakes due to their leg sizes; also, skinks have slithering movement patterns. Most skinks have dark skin with spots or stripes. Skinks are primarily carnivorous, dining on grasshoppers, snails and slugs; larger skinks prey on mice and small rats. Some skink species include ground skink, five-lined skink and southern prairie skink.