What is a flying dragon lizard. Flying dragons (Draco volans) Belt-tailed lizard video

Not only squirrels, snakes, birds and fish fly, but also lizards. Draco volans or the Flying Dragon is a reptile from the family of agama lizards (a subfamily of Afro-Arabian agamas). They are also called Flying Dragons (lat. Draco) or even simply - dragons.

In size, this creature reaches 20-40 centimeters in length, and its distinguishing feature- this is the presence of clearly expressed "wings". The wings are corrugated skin folds, and thanks to them the lizard is able to fly up to 60 meters.

This is quite enough for the reptile to gracefully soar between neighboring trees. Flying is a very useful skill for a lizard that feeds on insects and grubs. This makes it much easier for her to find food and allows her to quickly and efficiently hunt for prey.

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Usually lizards perch inconspicuously in the tops of trees - when they fold their wings, they almost blend in with the surrounding landscape. And if necessary, the flying dragon plans down with lightning speed - moreover, it is able to “fly” both vertically and horizontally, as well as quickly change direction. Each adult dragon individual has its own "hunting ground" - a section of the forest, consisting of several trees located in the neighborhood.

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Of course, the lizard does not fly into full meaning of this word, but rather plans, like a glider or a parachute. " aviation system The structure of these lizards is as follows: they have six enlarged lateral ribs - however, biologists consider them to be false ribs - which are able to extend and spread the skin "sail" (or "wing") for subsequent planning.

Lizards - males have another noticeable difference in external structure. This is a characteristic throat bag - a skin fold.

The skin fold is the main advantage of the male dragon, which he regularly demonstrates, widely pushing and sticking it forward. Anatomically, this feature is due to the presence of processes of the hyoid bone of the lizard, due to which the leathery bag on the throat of the reptile can swell so much. Among other things, it is believed that the skin fold helps the male in the process of flight - by stabilizing his body.

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By itself, the flying dragon has a small, narrow and flattened body. His body is usually uniform in color, usually green. But the wings on the outside are painted in the most exotic and attractive colors - green, yellow, with a purple tint, with spots, specks and even stripes. Interestingly, the reverse side of the "wings" of the dragon is no less brightly colored - in a spotted lemon or blue color.

Where can you find this amazing creation of nature? These wonderful representatives of reptiles live in the untouched corners of Southeast Asia.

Different types of flying dragons are found in tropical jungle South India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In addition to Draco volans, biologists know about thirty more species of flying dragons. Of these, Draco volans is the most common and famous representative kind of, for which it is also called an ordinary flying dragon.

Video about dragons ....

The dragon lizard, or as it is also called the flying lizard, is considered one of the most prominent representatives subfamilies of Afro-Arabian Agamas. These unique creatures are different enough miniature size, and are able to fly, thanks to the peculiar wings.

The flying lizard is a rather inconspicuous animal, which, due to its small size and color, is able to merge with a tree. The length of this lizard does not exceed forty centimeters, of which most of is a tail, which, among other things, during the flight also performs the function of turning. The body of all these creatures is very narrow and is about five centimeters thick.

Distinctive features

A distinctive feature of the dragon in the form of a lizard is that it has corrugated folds on both sides of the body, which straighten out during the flight and form wings. The difference between males and females is that the former have a special fold on the throat, which serves as another wing, only to stabilize the position of the body during the flight, as well as to attract females and scare off opponents.

flying Dragon

Another distinctive element is the brown-gray color of individuals with a metallic sheen, which allows the lizards to be completely invisible on the tree. Also, these creatures have lateral membranes on both sides, which alternate one after another and differ quite a bit. bright color. The upper side of the dragon mainly shimmers in various color scheme, which includes red and yellow shades, which in turn are complemented by various inclusions, stripes and spots. As for the lower side, there is mainly yellow and blue. Among other things, the belly, tail and paws of the animal also differ in bright shades.

Note! The dragon lizard is a fairly common type of reptile. That is why the animal is not on the list of endangered species.

habitats

For the first time hearing about such a unique creature as a flying dragon lizard, many are wondering where this animal lives. Most often, this animal can be found in the following places:

• in India;
• in Malaysia;
• on the islands of the Malay Archipelago;
• on the island of Borneo;
• for the most part South-East Asia.

Lizards practically do not descend to the ground

In order to get food for itself, the lizard sits on a tree or near it and waits for the appearance of insects. As soon as the insect appears in close proximity to the reptile, it deftly eats it, and the animal's body does not even move.

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Millions of years ago. Among them there are unusual specimens that amaze with their unique appearance and abilities.

the site will introduce some of the representatives of ancient reptiles.

flying dragon

This is a miniature fairy tale character. It differs from other species and flying lizards by skin folds on the sides of the body. Thanks to them, they can fly from one tree to another in search of food, over a distance of more than 20 meters. They live in Southeast Asia.

The family of flying dragon lizards includes about 30 species. They are relatively small in size - up to 21 cm. Moreover, a long and thin tail is half of the entire length. The body is painted in the color of foliage and bark.

In the normal state, the skin folds on the sides are tightly pressed to the body. In flight, they unfold, turning into bright wings of yellow, red or Green colour. And the dragon becomes like a butterfly.

It maneuvers well in flight, changing direction and height, while the tail acts as a rudder. Wings do not flap, but they allow you to soar smoothly in the air.

flying dragon

Lifestyle of flying reptiles

They lead a solitary life, preferring the dense crown of trees. They also feed on larvae. And they themselves are prey for and.

The throat pouch of the male is bright yellow. The female is blue or of blue color. Flying dragons do not hibernate. They breed throughout the year.

Having chosen a female, the male demonstrates to her all his advantages - the color of the wings, the throat bag. And he tries to convince her with a kind of “speech”.

If courtship is accepted, then after a while the female descends to the ground and lays 2-5 eggs in a small depression. It covers them with a small layer of earth and leaves its offspring to survive.

Cubs appear in two months immediately with all the skills for independent existence. The life expectancy of flying dragons is up to 5 years.

frilled lizard

Lives in New Guinea. It got its name due to the skin fold around the head, which looks like a collar. It is a regulator of body heat exchange and serves to intimidate enemies. In case of danger, it opens and rises around the head by 30 cm.

The frilled lizard has unusual ability run on hind legs. In this case, the body is held vertically. Strong prehensile paws with sharp claws help them run fast and climb trees.

Attractive wearer

Males reach a size of up to one meter. The long tail is 2/3 of the entire length. The females are much smaller.

During mating season the male attracts his chosen one, showing her his collar in all its glory. After mating, she lays 8-12 eggs in the sand, and after about ten weeks, independent offspring appear.

They lead a solitary life. They mostly live in trees, but if they do not find food there, then they go down to the ground for prey. Omnivorous - feed on plants, rodents, bird eggs.

To scare the enemy frilled lizard rises on its hind legs, at the same time opens its mouth wide and has an orange collar (does not fly). Hisses, strikes the ground with a long tail and runs at the enemy. Instantly transforming into incomprehensible creature. Such a transformation throws snakes and dogs to flight.

Moloch - spotted devil

For its frightening appearance, this lizard was named after the pagan god of evil, to whom sacrifices were made.

Her whole body (up to 22 cm) is covered with sharp horny spikes. And they are all different sizes. The spotted devil has the ability to change body color depending on the ambient temperature and lighting. It also lives in the semi-deserts of Australia.

Leads a daily lifestyle. Moves slowly on powerful outstretched legs. Lives in burrows dug in the sand, can completely burrow into it.

What does it eat

Despite the frightening appearance, the Moloch is actually a harmless creature - it feeds exclusively on ants. Catches them with a long sticky tongue. It eats several thousand of these insects per day.

Spotted coloring helps to camouflage well in the sands. In case of danger, Moloch bows his head in front of the enemy, putting forward a horny growth on his head. And significantly increases the size of the body, inflating it.

Her body is covered with sharp horny spikes.

Moloch can change its color within a few minutes, disguising itself as the environment.

How it breeds

Eggs are laid between September and December. The offspring appears after 3-4 months, less than one centimeter in size. They grow slowly and only by about five years old cubs grow to adult size. They live long enough for these reptiles, about twenty years.

leaf gecko

Where do they live

It lives on the islands of Madagascar in the tropics. The unusual leaf-like appearance and coloring similar to the color of the bark of trees makes them invisible. The tail, with irregularities along the edges and veins in the middle, is very similar to a dried leaf. This ability of animals is called mimicry (imitation, disguise).

The second name (satanic gecko) was due to the huge red eyes that see perfectly at night.

The size of these reptiles is 20-30cm. They live in trees, are active night image life, and during the day they hide among the foliage. They feed on insects.

The female lays two eggs several times a year. Incubation period lasts 2-3 months, depending on environmental conditions.

IN wild nature The leaf gecko lives for about eight years. In a well-equipped terrarium up to 20 years.

Small belt-tailed lizards

The name was given for the ring-shaped scales with sharp spikes that encircle the entire body, leaving a small bare area on the stomach. They live in Africa and Madagascar.

In case of danger, belt-tailed lizards curl up into a ring, covering their bare abdomen, and take the tail into their mouths. At the same time, sharp spikes rise on the back. With this ability, they resemble hedgehogs.

During the day they lead an active lifestyle. They take refuge in crevices among rocks and rocks. During the dry period, they can hibernate. They live in small groups, in which the male leads.

Belt-tailed lizard video

What do lizards eat

They feed not only on plants, but also on small rodents and even their relatives. They are long-lived, in the wild they live up to 25 years.

The offspring are viviparous once a year. Cubs (from one to two) are born up to 6 cm in size and the ability to live independently.

All lizards, both flying and not, tolerate life well in captivity in specially equipped terrariums. You need the appropriate temperature, diet and ventilation for each species.

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Surely in one of the articles on our website we have already surprised you with the fact that they exist. But this is far from the only reptile species that can travel distances through the air. So, we will tell you about the type of lizard Draco volans, which in Latin means "flying dragon".

Flying dragons belong to the Agamidae family, a subfamily of the Afro-Arabian dragons. The habitats of these outlandish reptiles are located in remote corners of Southeast Asia. Flying dragons live in trees rainforest the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, the Philippines, as well as in the South-Eastern part of India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In nature, there are about 30 species capable of flying. But the species Draco volans is the most common, although not fully understood due to the hidden lifestyle of these reptiles.

Flying dragons are not at all the size of their thesque cartoon characters. The size of this reaches 20-40 centimeters in length. Moreover, the color of flying dragons is not very noticeable - from plain green to gray-brown. This allows them to merge with environment a habitat. But here is a distinctive feature of flying dragons - wide skin folds on the sides of a flattened body, which, when the “false ribs” between which they are stretched, form bright “wings”, allow these lizards to soar in the air, moving freely up and down and changing the trajectory movement at a distance of up to 60 meters.

The structure of the "wings" of flying dragons is very peculiar. The lateral ribs of this lizard are significantly enlarged in size compared to the rest of the skeleton structure and are able to straighten the skin folds stretched between them. The resulting "wings" have a bright and variegated color - they are green, yellow, purple, with a tint, a transition, with spots, specks and stripes.

An interesting fact is that males in the throat area have hallmark- bright orange skin fold. At the same time, for the male sex, this distinctive feature is considered a virtue, which they willingly demonstrate by sticking it forward. From the point of view of biologists, this anatomical feature is a process of the hyoid bone of males, which helps them during the flight, stabilizing the body.

In general, gliding in the air for flying dragons is in itself a very useful skill that nature has endowed them with. It helps them escape from predators.

The diet of these reptiles includes insects, mainly ants, as well as insect larvae. Flying dragons live and hunt strictly in a certain area, which, as a rule, consists of several neighboring trees. These descend from the trees only in case of an unsuccessful flight, or for laying eggs.

These flying dragons practically do not consume water, they get enough of it from the food they consume. It is also worth noting that flying dragons have a well-developed hearing organ, which allows them to hear the approach of prey long before it appears near the reptile.

Unfortunately, the reproduction process and life span of flying dragons have not yet been fully studied. The only thing that biologists managed to find out is that the females lay their eggs in the crevices of the bark of trees. Baby flying dragons appear after a few weeks and can fly from the moment they hatch.