# Sand lizard (*Lacerta agilis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/sand-lizard  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a lizard in the family Lacertidae, order Squamata, within the reptiles. It is classed as tiny, with an adult body mass of 9.87 g and a body length of 7.91 cm. It has one clutch or litter per year with 5.8 young or eggs, an egg incubation period of 48 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 2 years. Its lifespan is 8.5 years, with up to 12 years reported, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.87 g |
| Length | 7.91 cm |
| Lifespan | 8.5 years – 12 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Egg incubation | 48 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.8 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Lacertidae
- genus: Lacerta
- species: *Lacerta agilis* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Lacerta agi euxinica*, *Lacerta agilis euxinica*, *Lacerta agilis euxinica*, *Lacerta agilis grusoni*, *Lacerta agilis spinalis*, *Lacerta agilis tauridica*, *Lacerta agilis tauridica*, *Lacerta agilis var. concolor*, *Lacerta agilis var. dilepis*, *Lacerta agilis var. kurtuana*, *Lacerta agilis var. orientalis*, *Lacerta boemica*, *Lacerta europaea*, *Lacerta paradoxa*, *Lacerta stirpium*, *Lacerta stirpium*, *Seps caerulescens*, *Seps ruber*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the sand lizard?

The sand lizard is a lizard, a reptile in the family Lacertidae and order Squamata.

### How big is the sand lizard?

The sand lizard has an adult body mass of 9.87 g and a body length of 7.91 cm, placing it in the tiny size class.

### How long does the sand lizard live?

The sand lizard has a lifespan of 8.5 years, and our sources report up to 12 years.

### Is the sand lizard endangered?

No. The sand lizard is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How many young does the sand lizard have?

The sand lizard has 5.8 young per litter or eggs per clutch, with 1 litter or clutch per year.

### How long is the sand lizard's egg incubation period?

The egg incubation period of the sand lizard is 48 days.

### When does the sand lizard reach sexual maturity?

The sand lizard reaches sexual maturity at 2 years of age.

### Who named the sand lizard?

The sand lizard, Lacerta agilis, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sand-lizard