Fin Lizard

The fin lizard, Velusaurus bipod, is a small, bipedal iguanian lizard, with no front limbs, from North American deserts.

Lizards and other reptiles do not have the sophisticated mechanisms that mammals and birds have for regulating body temperature. Their temperature is entirely dependent on the surroundings. Several desert reptiles of the Posthomic have, however, developed rudimentary devices for keeping themselves cool. The fin lizard, for instance, has a system of erectile fins and dewlaps on its neck and tail which it raises into the wind when its body becomes too hot. The heat is transferred through the fins via the bloodstream into the air. When cooling itself, the lizard typically balances on one leg while keeping the other off the hot desert surface to get maximum benefit from the system.

Predators of the fin lizard include long-legged quails.