"Sand lizard. Are you all right?"
New special exhibition at the Nature Museum
From Friday, April 12, the Nature Museum of the Zurich Wilderness Park will be presenting the new special exhibition "Sand lizard. Everything alright?". It offers an exciting insight into the life of these bright green mini-dinosaurs. In keeping with the theme, the Zurich Wilderness Park has redesigned the habitat next to the museum. Sand lizards, insects and numerous other small animals feel at home in the new small animal community.
The sand lizard loves clutter. It uses piles of stones and branches as shelter. Its preferred habitat is dry areas, embankments, hedges and strips of old grass along fences. The sand lizard is rarely found on intensively used agricultural land and in "tidy" gardens. In Switzerland, the sand lizard is therefore considered a vulnerable species and is on the Red List.
The new special exhibition "Sand lizard. Everything all right?", which the Nature Museum of the Zurich Wilderness Park is presenting in Sihlwald from April 12. The family-friendly and varied exhibition was designed by the Lucerne Museum in collaboration with the Albert Koechlin Foundation. Opening hours Nature Museum: Wed-Fri 12-5pm; Sat and Sun 9am-6pm
New small animal living community in Sihlwald
Right next to the Nature Museum, visitors have the opportunity to observe sand lizards in the wild. With the support of the Friends of the Zurich Wilderness Park, the surrounding area has been redesigned and supplemented with an interactive nature trail. Sand lizards, insects, hedgehogs and other small animals feel at home in the new "small animal living community".
A portrait of the sand lizard
The sand lizard is the second largest lizard species in Switzerland after the green lizard. It feeds mainly on insects. During the mating season in spring, the flanks of the males turn bright green. Both sexes can also be easily recognized by the eye-like spots on their skin.
