Horned Lizard

Horned Lizard

To the uninitiated, their dragon-like appearance is quite formidable. The squat form and head armor has given rise to the name "hornytoad," "horned toad" and "horned lizards." However, since there is a true toad with horns, it is best that we speak of this genus as the "Horned Lizards."

Their colors are pleasing. The back and head are soft desert gray. The markings are in pastel shades of tan, brown, red or yellow. The underparts are pale, yellowish gray. The overall colors are generally close to the predominant color of the soil. Color changes from light to dark (or reverse) can occur within a few minutes.

Because they are so fearsome in appearance, yet quite harmless, desert visitors tend to collect them to show the folks back home. Horned Lizards are neat creatures but hard to keep because most of them are obligate ant eaters and, at that, eat a very limited number of species of ants.

Some do diverge from the ant diet at certain times of the year such as the Regal Horned Lizard, which gorges itself on tiny beetles and eschews ants altogether when the beetles are abundant. Also, the Coast Horned Lizard can survive on inverts other than ants. But the Flattail and Shorthorned, as well as the Desert Horned Lizards, are closely tied to ants and will die if those are not supplied in quantity.

Gliding Lizard

Gliding Lizard

The Draco genus are the 'flying dragons', more properly called Gliding Lizards. They are able to glide because on each side of the body there is a wide flap of skin (the patagium) supported by movable elongated ribs. Males of the genus also have a throat fan or gular flag, which is extended as a territorial display.

Blanford's Gliding Lizard is one of the largest - the male reaches 13 cm (snout-to-vent) and the female 11 cm. Males are identified by olive-grey mottling on the back and patagium, and females by transverse banding. The gular flag of the male is long and light grey, and under the lappets (at the side of the head) is a red and black patch.This species inhabits lowland rainforest up to around 1200 metres altitude. It ranges from southwestern China through Vietnam and Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia. It is absent in Singapore.

Frilled Knecked Lizard

Frilled Knecked Lizard

This sun-loving lizard (Frilled Lizard) is the reptile emblem of Australia, depicted on our now defunct two-cent coin This reptile is part of the Dragon family a sub-species of Lizards They are usually active during the day and move very fast on their two hind legs

Head and Body Length: to 28cm Total Overall Length: usually 70 cm but up to 95cm
The colour of the lizard matches the land on which it lives, so a frilled lizard from one region may be brighter than another. The male is more colourful than the female They are not poisonous or harmful to man

It eats with its frill back and hunts mostly in the trees for insects (eg.cicadas) but it also descends to the ground to catch other insects (including ants, which it eats in great numbers from trails and near the edges of nests), spiders and even small lizards that venture too close.