Why do lizards do pushups?

Lizards do pushups to communicate with other lizards, both male and female, especially if there is a lot of environmental noise that makes it difficult for the lizard to communicate vocally. Lizards often follow up the pushups with the head bob, which shows personal strength and conveys a territorial message to other lizards.

In the wild, lizards communicate with each other by sending signals. To attract the attention of other lizards, whether for mating or to convey a message to back off, a lizard may perform a series of pushups. This will get the attention of nearby lizards and the lizard doing pushups will then convey a message using other gestures or by extending its dewlap.