Known as the first person to raise lizards in the icy city of Harbin, 34-year-old Qu Lei has raised more than 400 lizards of 20 varieties at his home in the Songbei district for over 15 years.

On June 20, the Heilongjiang Museum held a summer exhibition of lizards. As the first time the museum exhibited the animals of local pet keepers, Qu Lei took his lizards to be showcased at the event.

The longest lizard taking part in the show measured 1.2 meters, with the shortest being no more than 0.1 meters long. The most expensive lizard in Harbin is valued at about 50,000 yuan ($7321), but the cheapest sells for no more than 10 yuan.

There are currently more than 10,000 lizard owners in Harbin, and most of them are young people. They have created a WeChat group to share their common hobby, and are preparing to establish an official lizard club in the future.

China is currently home to more than 150 kinds of lizards, mainly found in the Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

"Some lizards eat green vegetables while some eat insects,” Qu said. “They are very sensitive to temperature and humidity.”

Lizards can also regenerate limbs as a defense mechanism to escape from predators. Some species, such as the chameleon, can change color to match its surroundings in order to remain concealed.

A tourist views a lizard at the Heilongjiang Museum on June 20. [Photo/my399.com]