ANIMAL: Frilled Lizard/Frilled Dragon Chlamydosaurus kingii Type of Animal: Agamid Habitat: Savanna woodland, woodland, grassland, tropical forest, evergreen forest, dry sclerophyll forest, warm temperate forest Location(s): N Australia & S New Guinea Appearance: Lizards in drier environments have collage of brown/red/orange, lizards in damper environments have more gray & darker brown, large neck frill folded against head/neck, males have larger neck frills & are larger than females, large agamid species w/ long tail, Australian specimens larger than New Guinea specimens Food/Diet: Cicadas, beetles, beetle larvae, beetle grubs, termites, ants, butterflies, moths, caterpillars, moth larvae, crickets, spiders, cockroaches, grasshoppers, locusts, soldier fly larvae, other lizards, small mammals, vegetables, fruit, berries, greens, legumes, fish Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos, herpetoculture, & pet trade Lifestyle: Solitary or trios of a male & 2 females Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young: Hatchling Group: Colony Weight: Male: 30.68 oz Female: 14.11 oz Gestation: 3 months Life Span: 8-20 years Body Length: Male: 2.5-3.1 ft Female: 1.8-2.5 ft Young: 1 ft Tail Length: Male: 1.75-2.17 ft Female: 1.26-1.75 ft Young: 0.7 ft Main predators are raptors, larger lizards, snakes, dingoes, cats, dogs, foxes, quolls, & crocodiles. Males highly territorial, sometimes fighting to the death. Also called Frill-Necked Lizards, Frilled Agamas, & Frillies. Much of their time is spent in the trees. Most known for defense mechanism in which they spread frill out & open mouth wide. If this doesn’t work, it simply runs away often on hind legs, giving it name “Bicycle Lizard.” Frilling display also used in courtship, to intimidate rivals, & when stressed. They’re ambush predators. Females lay eggs in underground nests. Hotter temps produce females while more intermediate temps produce more balanced sex ratios. In wetter periods, they can eat hundreds to thousands of insects in a single day. Coloration aids in camouflage. Sexual maturity reached at 1-1.5 years old. Females lay anywhere from 4-23 eggs per clutch. Fun Fact(s): A frilled lizard named Frank appeared in 1990 Disney movie The Rescuers Down Under. While menacing looking, these lizards are not aggressive & rather docile. This species featured on emblem of Northern Australian regiment NORFORCE. One of these lizards featured on reverse of Australian 2-cent coin until 1991. In 1993 movie Jurassic Park, portrayal of dinosaur Dilophosaurus based on these lizards showing neck frill raised when attacking & causing increase in demand for these lizards as pets.
