Frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii)
Frilled lizards are one of Australia's oddest-looking lizard species. Their huge frill, which can be 30cm across, seems to be mostly for display. Both sexes have frills, but males use them when threatened or when they encounter other males in their territory, especially during the breeding season. In spite of their ferocious appearance, frilled lizards feed largely on insects.
About the Frilled lizard
The Frill-necked lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii), also known as the Frilled lizard or Frilled dragon, is so called because of the large ruff of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. The neck frill is supported by long spines of cartilage which are connected to the jaw bones. When the lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a bright pink or yellow lining, and the frill flares out, displaying bright orange and red scales. This display is usually used to discourage predators or in courtship. The lizard is a member of the agamid family which means it a relatively large lizard, growing up to 91.4 cm. The lizard is also capable of bipedal locomotion.
The frill-necked lizard does not have a standard colour; however, it is characterised by a body that is darker than its frill. There is only one recorded species of the frill-necked lizard; however, the immense variations of colour among the species has lead some scientists to hypothesise more than one species.
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Common Names
- Frill-necked lizard
- Frilled dragon
The Frilled lizard is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Elsewhere on the web
- Chlamydosaurus kingii (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Virtual Museum of Natural History fact file (curator.org)
- Frilled lizards on Zipcodezoo (zipcodezoo.com)
- Frill-necked Lizard (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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