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This Australian lizard has an enormous frill. Normally the frill hangs limp, but when the lizard is threatened, it spreads out up to 25 cm, and makes the lizard look three times as large and twice as dangerous. |
A frilled lizard has grayish-brown scales and is usually about 3 feet in length. Though it’s large in size, it weighs just over 1 pound. Line up two and a half bowling pins and you’re looking at the length of a 3-foot frilled lizard. A frilled lizard that weighs a little over 1 pound is about equal in weight to a can of soup.
This lizard has a long tail and claws made for hanging onto the trunk of a tree to climb it in quick fashion. The brown-gray scales of this lizard help to camouflage it in the trees.
5 Incredible Frilled Lizard Facts!
- It’s sometimes called the bicycle lizard because of the way its hind legs move when it’s running
- They are kept in some households as exotic pets that need special care
- The female lays eggs up to 8 inches underground
- These lizards are not poisonous
- They can live up to 20 years
There are 420 species in the same family (Agamidae) as the frilled lizard, however no other lizards share its distinctive frill. The frilled dragon is solitary and remains alone most of the time except during breeding season. The frilled lizard lives in northern Australia and New Guinea. This reptile lives in a warm environment. Its habitat includes woodland savannas as well as temperate and tropical forests.
What eats frilled lizards?
Birds of prey such as eagles, owls and hawks, snakes, dingoes, larger lizards, and feral cats are predators of these lizards.
What does a frilled lizard eat?
Insects play a large role in the diet of the frilled agama aka the frilled lizard. Cicadas, spiders, beetles, ants, termites, moths, and butterflies are all on the menu. These reptiles also eat small mammals such as mice and rats. They’ve been known to eat smaller lizards as well.
Frilled Lizard Reproduction, Babies and Lifespan
The breeding season of these lizards runs from September to October. The male lizards compete for females by fighting and displaying their neck frills. Also, a male bobs his head up and down to get a female’s attention. Female lizards lay their eggs between the months of November to February. The eggs are laid from 1 to 8 inches below ground. These lizards usually choose to dig the hole in a sunny area, so the sunlight gives some warmth to their eggs. A female lays from 8 to 14 soft-shelled eggs in one clutch. The incubation period of the eggs is 2 to 3 months. Each egg weighs less than an ounce in size. Some females have 2 clutches of eggs per season.
Baby lizards are able to survive without any care from their parents after they hatch. Each baby is about as long as an adult’s pinkie finger! And, yes, baby lizards have full use of their neck frill. They can eat small insects including ants and termites. Generally, a lizard stays with its brothers and sisters for about 10 days before leaving to establish its own life.
The lifespan of this lizard can go as high as 20 years! In fact, a 20-year-old frilled lizard living in captivity holds the record as the oldest of its kind.
Frilled Lizard Population
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the exact population of this reptile is unknown. This is because these lizards are quick to hide making it difficult to record an accurate count. However, their official conservation status is Least Concern.
Credit : A-Z Animals
Picture Credit : Google