Lizards

Lizards are the most common predators in Rain World. They will actively hunt down slugcat, as well as other creatures of similar size, such as squidcadas, scavengers, centipedes, and even other lizards.

They come in many varieties, and depending on the sub-species, the player will have to react in many different ways to fight, evade, or distract them.

Movement
Whether crawling through tunnels or walking on land, lizards always maintain the same speed, slower than slugcat's running but faster that slugcat's crawling. Which means that while on the floor, the player can outrun a lizard. However, in a tunnel or on a pole, the player will quickly be caught by the lizard. Lizards are not as intelligent as slugcat, and may be outmaneuvered during a chase. Most non-climbing varieties of lizards can be jumped over without too much trouble, as it takes them a moment to turn around, though if the player does not jump high enough they may be bitten out of the air. Backflipping over the lizard can be more safe, but also more difficult.

Lizards possess a wide variety of abilities when it comes to maneuverability, with some able to climb poles and others able to climb walls on the background. While most lizards crawl like any normal lizards, green lizards appear to haul themselves along the floor, much like modern day crocodiles.



Senses
Lizards rely on both sight and sound to perceive their prey. Lizards have on average a 250° sight range, which varies by breed, and can hear and investigate noises caused by the slugcat or other prey. It is often possible to sneak around a lizard to get the drop on them in combat, or to avoid them entirely

Hunting
Lizards use various strategies depending on the subspecies in order to catch preys. However, a large variety of them can be observed doing the following: when within close range of prey, they will either approach at their usual speed with their mouth open, or they will stop for a few seconds before rushing forward in a tackle-like movement. Once they have caught slugcat, there is a roughly 1 in 12 chance that the slugcat will immediately die, but otherwise they will drag the slugcat alive back to their den. If the lizard is attacked, they may drop slugcat, and the player may be able to escape from what appeared to be certain death. Note that the screen will display the game over message if caught by a lizard regardless of whether the bite killed them or not.

Combat
Lizards are vulnerable to spears, but their tough, glowing heads will deflect them in a head-on battle. If slugcat is able to sneak up, outmaneuver, or stun the lizard in order to get a shot at their body, they can damage the lizard with the spear and briefly stun it. Lizards can also be hit with a spear if they open their mouths, but since this only happens while spitting or biting, this is a rather risky proposition. The player can retrieve the spear from the lizard's body after a brief period of time, but the lizard may retaliate once it has gotten over the shock of being stabbed, and slugcat must continue attacking quickly or retreat to avoid being bitten while retrieving a spear. Rocks do not appear to do any damage to lizards, but can be used to stun a lizard or flip it over to reveal its vulnerable body for a spear attack. Most lizards will die after being hit by 2 to 4 spears, depending on the type of lizard.

Fear
Certain lizards will naturally react fearfully around larger predators, such as vultures, by running and hiding, typically without paying any attention to prey such as slugcat while doing so. In certain cases, they may also run away from slugcat. If a lizard is dealt just enough damage that it is close to death but still alive, they will run in fear from slugcat and never attack again, even in subsequent cycles. Many lizards will also run in fear from a slugcat wearing a vulture mask.

Taming
Whilst lizards can't be fully controlled, you can distract them by feeding them prey. This prey can include dead squidcadas, lantern mice or scavengers, and feeding these to a lizard may cause it to leave. Doing this for about two to four times can tame a lizard, although the amount required varies on the individual lizard and its subspecies; lazier lizard subspecies are subsequently easier to tame. Once a lizard is tamed, it will not attack slugcat and will follow them around, even sleeping with slugcat in their hibernation chamber. Sleeping repeatedly in a hibernation chamber with a lizard unlocks the achievement The Friend.

Lizard Types
There are many different subspecies of lizards, codified by different color schemes. Each breed of lizard possesses unique quirks and abilities.

Green Lizard
"Main Article: Green Lizard"Green lizards, aka "Ground Crocs", are likely the first variety of lizard that a new player will encounter, and are thankfully relatively slow, lazy, and even somewhat passive compared to other lizards. They possess no unique abilities aside from a somewhat greater size and significantly increased health compared to other lizards, as well as a rarely seen charge attack that can be easily dodged by simply jumping over them. Due to their lack of mobility, green lizards can be avoided simply by climbing up a pole or standing on higher ground, though one must be careful, as they can still travel through certain tunnels that slugcat cannot access in order to reach an elevated slugcat. They have slight variations among their colors, sometimes appearing more lime, but are usually easy to identify. They are natively found in early areas of the game, especially The Outskirts and Industrial Complex.

Magenta Lizard
"Main Article: Magenta Lizard"Magenta lizards, aka pink or purple lizards due to the wide range of colors they can sport, are very average lizards in nearly every way. The only unique ability they have, which is either shared or outclassed by nearly every other variety of lizards except for greens, is the ability to climb up poles. They are common in The Outskirts and Industrial Complex. While they are a noteworthy threat, they can often be outmaneuvered or outran fairly easily.

Blue Lizard
"Main Article: Blue Lizard"Blue lizards, aka "Basilisks", are the weakest and smallest of all lizards, easily killed two well placed spears, or scared off with one. However, they are also fast and capable of climbing background elements, making them significantly more dangerous than other lizards if slugcat is unable to get the drop on them, as they will be capable of chasing slugcat through difficult terrain. Alongside the blue lizard's mobility, they also have a tongue that can be used to grab prey from a short distance, dragging them into biting range. They are found natively in most regions of the game, though in smaller numbers than most other lizards.

White Lizard
"Main Article: White Lizard"White lizards, aka "Chameleons", "Camo Lizards" and "Rainbow Lizards", are dangerous ambush predators capable of blending in to their environment in order to ambush slugcat. Like blue lizards, they can climb on background elements in the game, they also possess a significantly longer and stronger tongue than blue lizards, capable of grabbing slugcat from an impressive distance. Rather than chasing their prey down, they prefer to get the drop on them by waiting for it to get in range before hissing and attempting to grab the prey with its tongue. If they catch a slugcat, their grip is strong enough that they will almost never let go until the prey is within biting range, even if slugcat is holding on to a pole or below the lizard. Slugcat can force the lizard to release its hold by stunning it with a spear to the head or a rock, or by hitting the body of the lizard in the body with a spear. Thankfully white lizards have very low health, once they have been hit by a single spear, they will typically lose their camouflage abilities and run away from slugcat in fear, while two spears are usually sufficient to kill them. They spawn natively in specific locations all across the game, but are particularly common in The Exterior.

Orange Lizard
"Main Article: Orange Lizard"Orange Lizards, aka "Drakes", are pack hunters with sizable antennae on their heads, which they use to communicate with other orange lizards nearby. If one spots slugcat, it will cause other nearby orange lizards to give chase as well, possibly surrounding the player. Orange lizards do not fight among themselves, and have a faster running speed than most lizards, able to keep pace with the slugcat, but have lower health than most lizards, and can be scared away with one well placed spear or killed with two. "Alpha" orange lizards have larger antennae than normal oranges, and appear to hold the communication ability of their pack together. If the alpha is killed, the entire pack will lose its communication abilities, making them much less threatening. Orange Lizards are found natively in The Exterior, Sky Islands, and Farm Arrays. They possess slight variations to their color scheme, which may make them appear more yellow than orange sometimes.

Black Lizard
"Main Article: Black Lizard"Black lizards, aka "Mole Lizards," are blind creatures with mole-like tendrils on their nose, adapted to living in dark environments. Although they can't detect prey by sight, if they pick up a sound or vibration, their heads will glow and they will head to the location from which it originated. They can be distracted by throwing something into a wall away from slugcat, and do not pose a large threat unless they corner slugcat or are present in large groups. They have typical health, and spawn natively in Shaded Citadel and Subterranean.

Salamander
"Main Article: Salamanders"Salamanders are colorful, amphibian creatures that behave just like lizards, but with axolotl-like heads that lack the toughness and glow of other breeds. They are adept swimmers, and have a sticky tongue which they use similarly to blue lizards. Although they are not much more of a threat than a purple lizard on land, they are able to chase the player in water, and will outswim slugcat in a straight swim, though they can be outmaneuvered. They spawn natively in Drainage System, Shoreline, and Subterranean.

Red Lizard
"Main Article: Red Lizard"Red lizards, aka "Boss Lizards" or "Dragons" due to their size and ferocity, are deadly hunters which thankfully are also very uncommon. Not only are they faster, larger, tougher, more aggressive, and even more intelligent than the usual lizard, they also possess a spitting attack to stun and slow down prey. They can only climb poles like magenta lizards can, and their large size and flexibility make them capable of chasing slugcat down almost anywhere. They are rarer than the usual lizard since they do not spawn natively in any region, only occasionally moving in to replace a lizard that was killed some other way. A lone red lizard is extremely dangerous, and taking one down is considered an impressive feat.

Unimplemented: Leapzard
"Main Article: Leapzard"Also known as "Leaplizards" or "Pouncing Lizards," these as of yet unimplemented lizards can make sudden leaps to navigate terrain and pounce on the player. They are marked with blue neon circles on the side and spots on their leaf shaped tail. Their eyes and mouths glow, and their markings appear to flash when hit. They also appear to have tongues similar to blue lizards. They are expected to arrive in an incoming patch, and may be exclusive to the new hard mode.

Combat Tips

 * Lizards' heads are heavily armored and immune to spears, but a rock to the head will flip them over and expose their tender underbelly, as well as stun them for a second.
 * All lizards' torsos are weak points; spearing these will result in direct damage to them. They can also be impaled on walls this way.
 * Explosives scare away the lizards, causing them to leave whatever room you threw them in.
 * If a lizard is climbing on a pole or background wall, getting hit by a spear or rock will cause them to fall off, possibly to their death.
 * You can jump on a lizard's back without getting eaten immediately, but this is a risky move since the lizard may bite you as you jump over it. White and blue lizards can turn on a dime, however, and will tend to grab you out of the air if you try to jump over them.
 * Lizards can be lured into environmental traps, such as a pole plant.
 * Lizards are preyed on by other predators, such as vultures and daddy long legs, and can be fought off or killed by scavengers.

Trivia

 * Green lizards are braver than many other lizards, and will not react in fear to vultures, sometimes fighting them off. They can also walk over worm grass without being eaten.
 * Leap lizards are the second creature that was able to pounce and leap at the player.
 * Lizards have an advanced rivalry system which cause them to get in territorial fights. They may spend some time hissing at each other, getting more and more annoyed, until they begin biting. Eventually, one will typically decide to submit to the other before any significant damage is done.
 * When the game was first in development, lizards were planned to be the only enemy present.
 * Lizards were originally called "crocs" in development.
 * There was, at one point, a mode in development where the player was to go out and hunt down lizard eggs.