Chlamydosaurus

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Frilled-neck lizard
Chlamydosaurus kingii.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Suborder:
Lacertilia
Infraorder:
Iguania
Family:
Agamidae
Subfamily:
Agaminae
Genus:
Chlamydosaurus
Species:
C. kingii
Binomial name
Chlamydosaurus kingii
Gray, 1825

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The frilled-neck lizard[1] (Chlamydosaurus kingii ), also known as the frilled lizard or frilled dragon, is a species of lizard, which is found mainly in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. This species is the only member of the genus Chlamydosaurus. Its common name comes from the large frill around its neck, which usually stays folded against the lizard's body. C. kingii is largely arboreal, spending the majority of the time in the trees. The lizard's diet consists mainly of insects and small vertebrates. The frill-necked lizard is a relatively large lizard, averaging 85 cm (2.79 ft) in total length (including tail). It is also kept as an exotic pet.

Taxonomy

British zoologist John Edward Gray described the frill-necked lizard in 1825 as Clamydosaurus Kingii, from a specimen collected by Captain Phillip Parker King.[2][3][4]

The frill-necked lizard is known as kurlamarnu to the Nyangumarta people of the Pilbara.[citation needed] In the Jawoyn language of the Katherine area, it is leliyn.[5]

Description

A frill-necked lizard in a reptile display

The frilled-neck lizard 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 produces a startling deimatic display: it gapes its mouth, exposing a bright pink or yellow lining; it spreads out its frill, displaying bright orange and red scales; raises its body; and sometimes holds its tail above its body.[6] This reaction is used for territorial displays, to discourage predators, and during courtship.[7]

The lizard is a relatively large member of the agamid family, growing up to 85 cm (2.79 ft).[8] It is capable of bipedal locomotion.[7] The frilled-neck lizard does not have a standard colour, but its body is darker than its frill.

Distribution and habitat

File:Frilly.jpg
Frill-necked lizard in natural environment, showing camouflage

The frilled-neck lizard is found mainly in the northern regions of Australia and southern New Guinea. The lizard is also, on rare occasions, found in the lower desert regions of Australia. The lizard inhabits humid climates such as those in the tropical savannah woodlands.[9] The frill-necked lizard is an arboreal lizard, meaning it spends a majority of its time in the trees.[9] The lizard ventures to the floor only in search of food, or to engage in territorial conflicts.[citation needed] The arboreal habitat may be a product of the lizard's diet, which consists mainly of small arthropods and vertebrates (usually smaller lizards).[citation needed] However, the trees are most importantly used for camouflage. There is not one standard colour: rather, colouration varies according to the lizard's environment. For example, a lizard found in a dryer, clay filled environment will most likely have a collage of oranges, reds, and browns; whereas a lizard found in a damper, more tropical region will tend to show darker browns and greys. This suggests they are adapted to their habitats; their colors are a form of camouflage.[10]

Diet

Cryptic pose on termite mound in the Northern Territory

Like many lizards, frill-necked lizards are carnivores, feeding on cicadas, beetles, termites, and mice .[11] They especially favour butterflies and moths, their larvae even more so.[12] Though insects are their primary source of food, they also consume spiders and occasionally other lizards.[13] Like most members of the agamids (dragons), frill-necked lizards employ an ambush method of hunting, lying in wait for their prey.[14] When the lizards eat, they eat in abundance; these binge periods usually occur during the wet season, when they ingest hundreds to thousands of alate (flying) ants or termites.[14]

Thermoregulation

The frilled-neck lizard is ectothermic and maintains its body temperature by basking for up to 30 minutes[citation needed] to achieve an average of 2–3 °C above the surrounding temperature. Weather conditions, including sunlight, are the main factors regulating the lizards’ temperature. This basking period usually occurs in the morning to early afternoon. During the basking period, the lizard will be found near the bottom of a tree and out from under the forest canopy.[citation needed] This ensures maximum exposure to sunlight. However, the lizard's final internal temperature depends mainly on the ambient temperature of the surrounding environment. The lizard's frill is thought to aid in thermoregulation.[15]

Reproduction and sexual dimorphism

Chlamydosaurus kingii from Narrative of a Survey Volume 2, by Phillip Parker King, 1827.

The frilled-neck lizard is sexually dimorphic; meaning that there are physical differences between male and females. This dimorphism is apparent in the length of the lizard; the male is generally larger than the female.[14] There is little to no dimorphism in the color of the lizard. Frill-necked lizards breed in the early wet season from September to October. Adult males fight for mates, displaying their frills and biting each other. One to two clutches of 6–25 eggs are laid from early to mid-wet season from November to February. The eggs are laid in a nest 5–20 cm below ground, and usually in sunny areas. Incubation takes two to three months. Gender is partly temperature determined, with extreme temperatures producing exclusively females, and intermediate temperatures (29 to 35 °C) producing equal numbers of males and females. Their eggs are soft-shelled.[14]

Predators

The species' main predators are eagles, owls, larger lizards, snakes, dingoes and quolls.[16]

In culture

A frill-necked lizard was featured on the reverse of the Australian 2-cent coin until 1991. A frill-necked lizard, known as "Lizzie," was the mascot for the 2000 Paralympic Games.[15] The emblem of the Australian Army's Regional Force Surveillance Unit, NORFORCE (North-West Mobile Force) of the Kimberleys and Northern Territory is the frill-necked lizard.[17]

Because of its unique appearance and behavior, the frill-necked lizard is commonly used in film and television. A frill-necked lizard named Frank appears in the Disney film The Rescuers Down Under and one named Osgood appears in the anime Noozles. In the film Jurassic Park, the dinosaur Dilophosaurus was portrayed with a fictional neck frill, which was raised during attack, similar to that of a frilled-neck lizard. The movie generated an increase in demand for frill-necked lizards as pets.[18] And appeared in Thai film King-ka kay-a-sit (Magic lizard; Thai: กิ้งก่ากายสิทธิ์) by Sompote Sands in 1985.[19]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.csiro.au/promos/ozadvances/Series8Lizard.html
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Chlamydosaurus kingi [sic]", p. 141).
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

  • Bedford GS. (1995). "Anti-predator tactics from the Frilled Neck Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii ". Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society 6 (3): 120-130.
  • Harlow PS, Shine R. (1998). "Temperature dependent sex-determination in the frillneck lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii (Agamidae)". Herpetologica 55 (2): 205-212.
  • Shine R, Lambeck R. (1989). "Ecology of frillneck lizards, Chlamydosaurus kingii (Agamidae) in tropical Australia". Australian Wildlife Research 16: 491-500.

External links

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