Home  
—————————  
   
Southeast Asia
 vertebrates ...
 
   
Mammals
Mammals - Bats
Snakes
Lizards & Crocodilians
Turtles
Amphibians
Fishes - Freshwater
Fishes - Brackish

 
 
Papua New Guinea vertebrates ...  
   
Snakes
Lizards
Frogs

Species Lists
 
—————————  
Articles & Publications  
—————————  
News Archives  
—————————  
Singapore sightings
Feedback
Image policy
 
—————————  


Text and photos by
Nick Baker, unless otherwise stated

 EcologyAsia 2010
Copyright ©

 
 
   

 

 
   
Short-pouched Gliding Lizard
   

Photographed at Gunung Pulai, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia.
 

Family : Agamidae
Species : Draco abbreviatus
Size (snout to vent) : 11 cm ?
Size (total length) : > 20 cm ?

References :

The Draco genus comprises 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 have a large throat fan or gular flag, which is extended as a territorial display or during courtship. Females sometimes possess small gular flags.

The Short-pouched Gliding Lizard is a large, cryptic species of tall, primary rainforest. Its mottled grey-green and brown dorsum is an effective camouflage on lichen-covered tree trunks.

It has a dark brown to black eye stripe on the side of the head : this is thin and discontinuous near the snout, but thickens behind the eye. The stripe merges with a thick, discontinuous, dark brown stripe along the ventral line which extends to the base of the tail.  Another shorter black stripe occurs below and parallel to the main eye stripe.

The species is named after the short gular flag of the female, however the male has a distinctive  long, thick, triangular salmon-pink gular flag.

The species is known to occur in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, north Sumatra and parts of Borneo.