Japanese grass lizard
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The Japanese grass lizard has a forked tongue tip.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese grass lizard
- Scientific name
- Takydromus tachydromoides
- Japanese name
- ニホンカナヘビ
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Lacertidae
- Genus
- Takydromus
Where the name “Japanese grass lizard” comes from
Its name is said to come from being called “kanahebi,” written “beloved snake,” for its slender, snake-like shape.
国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所A brown lizard with a long tail, found widely from Hokkaido to Kyushu. It lives in thickets, grassy places and gardens.
When in danger, it drops its own tail and runs away. The tail grows back, but the new tail has no bones.
It is active by day. Hiding among fallen leaves and grass, it mainly eats live insects and spiders.
How the Japanese grass lizard lives
It eats woodlice as well as insects and spiders. Females reproduce by laying eggs.
札幌市円山動物園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 16–25 cm
- Active
- By day (diurnal)
- Diet
- Insects, spiders, woodlice and other animals
- Range
- Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu)
Where the Japanese grass lizard has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ニホンカナヘビ
- 简体中文
- 日本草蜥
- 繁體中文
- 日本草蜥
- 한국어
- 일본장지뱀
- Deutsch
- Japanischer Schnellläufer
- Italiano
- Tachidromo del Giappone
- Русский
- Японская долгохвостка
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 札幌市円山動物園 — ニホンカナヘビChecked: 2026-11-03
- 国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所 — 肝属川の爬虫類Checked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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