Activity 9 – I PROMISE !

This activity focuses on a common and familiar garden animal - the lizard. Unfortunately this animal is often victimised by children, who catch lizards, break off their tail, throw stones at them, among other forms of torture.
We¹d like you to help us kill such cruel habits, and instead kindle a loving attitude. In this easy activity, you have the power to determine how children will look at lizards from now on. So go on, get as many kids as possible on board!

• Discuss lizards with your pupils (see box below for some facts), their harmless nature, their colour and pattern, and the life they add to our gardens. Discuss what some children do to lizards, and how important it is to stop being bullies towards small creatures.
  

• Make a Promise Card, using the template. Get the pupils to colour the picture. Why not invent a little poem or song to go along with your promise!
  

• Display your collection of bright lizard cards in a prominent place.
  

• Take pictures of your display and send them along with the Feedback Form. You don¹t need to send us the cards themselves, though we¹d love to see a sample or two! A minimum of 20% of the school must take part to qualify.
  

Points...

100 points

• Lizards are reptiles – their skin is scaly and they lay eggs, like birds.
• Like all reptiles, lizards need the sun to keep warm. Unlike mammals, their body cannot regulate its own temperature. For this reason reptiles are often called cold-blooded animals. It is also why lizards hide away for the winter.
• Lizards lay eggs in secret nooks and crannies in rubble walls. The shell of lizard eggs is soft.
• If caught by their tail, lizards often break it off and run for cover, leaving the tail in the predator’s mouth. The tail will grow again, though it will be shorter, thicker and less flexible than the original.
• A lizard does NOT enjoy losing its tail – it hurts the animal to break it off !
• Lizards eat ants and other small insects.
• Lizards’ enemies include snakes, several birds, cats and (unfortunately!) people.
• Lizards are modern cousins of the dinosaurs – the word dinosaur means "terrible lizard"
• In Malta we have only one species of lizard – its full name is Maltese Wall Lizard.
• Male Maltese lizards have a bright green back with black spots or stripes, a pale tummy and a nice yellow neck. Females are brown, with no yellow on the neck and smaller than the males.
• It’s true there are lizards endemic to Filfla, but they only have one tail ! The lizards of Filfla are black.
• The Maltese Wall Lizard is endemic to Malta and one other small Mediterranean island. Endemic means you don’t find it anywhere else in the world.
• Lizards (gremxul) are the ones we see during the day in the gardens, usually on the ground. The brown or pinkish reptiles we see running up walls, often at night are geckoes (wizgha)
• Lizards (and all other reptiles) are protected by law in Malta.
• And by the way, with small bits of tomato you can have lizards virtually eating out of your hand !