Flying dragon lizard: description of the species and its features. Flying lizard or flying dragon - way of life, habitat features Why is the flying dragon classified as a reptile

The flying dragon is not only a folklore character from various tales and fantasy novels, but also a very real living creature. True, miniature. Dragons got their name due to their ability to fly from tree to tree with the help of peculiar “wings”.

Flying dragons live in tropical forests Southeast Asia: on o. Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and South India. They live in the crowns of trees, where they spend most of their lives. They descend to the ground only in two cases - to lay eggs and if the flight is unsuccessful.

In total, about 30 species of flying dragons are known. The most famous and widespread is Draco volans. These lizards grow no more than 40 centimeters. They have a thin, flattened body and long tail. On the sides there are wide leathery folds stretched between six “false” ribs. When they open, peculiar “wings” are formed, with the help of which dragons can glide in the air at a distance of up to 60 meters.

dragon wings
The figure clearly shows the “false” edges

In males, there is a special fold of skin on the throat that moves forward. It serves as a body stabilizer during flight.

Throat pouch
This skin fold is brightly colored

Flying dragons are difficult to notice because their uniform color (green or gray-brown) allows them to blend in with the dense foliage or bark of a tree. But the wings, on the contrary, have a bright and variegated color - red, yellow, bright green, etc.

Brightly colored wings

They can fly both horizontally and vertically and at the same time quickly change the direction of their flight. Each adult has its own territory, consisting of several trees located nearby.

Landed

Flight allows these lizards to find new food places. Their main diet includes ants and the larvae of other insects.

Not only squirrels, snakes, birds and fish fly, but also lizards. Draco volans or the flying dragon is a reptile from the family of agamidae 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 distinctive feature– this is the presence of clearly defined “wings”. The wings are corrugated folds of skin, and thanks to them the lizard is able to fly over a distance of 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 larvae. This greatly facilitates her search for food and allows her to quickly and efficiently hunt for prey.

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Typically, lizards sit unnoticed on the treetops - when they fold their wings, they almost merge with the surrounding landscape. And if necessary, the flying dragon glides down with lightning speed - and it is capable of “flying” both vertically and horizontally, as well as quickly changing the direction of movement. Each adult dragon has its own “hunting ground” - a section of forest consisting of several trees located in the vicinity.

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Of course, the lizard does not fly to full meaning of this word, but rather plans, like a glider or parachute. " Aviation system The structure of these lizards is as follows: they have six enlarged lateral ribs - however, biologists consider them false ribs - which are capable of extending and spreading their skin “sail” (or “wing”) for subsequent gliding.

Male lizards have another noticeable difference in external structure. This is a characteristic throat pouch - a skin fold.

The skin fold is the main advantage of the male dragon, which he regularly demonstrates by spreading it widely and protruding it forward. Anatomically, this sign is due to the presence of processes of the lizard’s hyoid bone, thanks to which the leathery sac on the reptile’s throat can swell. Among other things, it is believed that the skin fold helps the male during the migration process by stabilizing his body.

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The flying dragon itself has a small, narrow and flattened body. Its body is usually monochromatic in color, usually green. But the wings on the outside can be painted in the most exotic and attractive colors - green, yellow, with a purple tint, with spots, specks and even stripes. I wonder what reverse side The dragon’s “wings” are no less brightly colored – spotted lemon or blue.

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

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

Video about dragons...

There are a huge number of animals in the world. From the simplest, found at every step, to the extremely rare and exotic. One of the exotic animals is the dragon lizard, which will be discussed in this article.

Dragon lizard or flying dragon - belongs to the subfamily of Afro-Arabian agamas(Agaminae) and is one of its most prominent representatives.

Definition

The name is due to the lateral folds of skin that allow it to fly over a distance of about 20 meters. This ability was acquired by lizards due to the fact that it is very difficult to survive while on the surface of the earth and running along the forest floor, in which predators can hide. Adapting to life on tall trees, they solved this problem. This lizard is also called: dragon, flying dragon, flying lizard and flying dragons.

Description

The flying lizard is an inconspicuous animal that blends very well with the tree on which it lives. Stealth is primarily due to its small size. The lizard's length varies from 20 to 40 cm. Most of the body length is a thin tail, which, among other things, performs the function of turning during flight. The body is narrow and can reach 5 cm in thickness.

A distinctive feature of this lizard from others is the small corrugated folds on both sides of the body. They are attached to false ribs and spread during flight, forming wings. Males have a special fold located on the throat that helps stabilize their position during flight. In addition to helping during flight, the gular fold serves to attract females and scare away opponents.

The second element What keeps them invisible on trees is their brown-gray color with a metallic sheen, which allows them to blend not only with the trees, but also with the surrounding landscape. The side membranes on both sides are painted in bright colors that alternate one after another. The colors on the top side shimmer into color scheme- red, yellow, with various inclusions - spots, stripes and specks. On the bottom side you can see this picture: yellowish and bluish color here, connected with dots of different colors. Speaking about color, one cannot fail to mention the bright colors of the animal’s tail, legs and abdomen.

Habitat

Where can you find these wonderful creatures? The main habitat of flying lizards can be called:

• India;
• islands of the Malay archipelago;
• Borneo island;
• Malaysia;
• most of Southeast Asia.

They live in tropical forests, where there are many tall trees on the crowns of which you can comfortably sit. They practically don’t go down to the ground, only in case of egg laying or accidental fall.

Behavioral Features

The behavior of flying dragons is determined by the presence of “wings” and the ability to glide over a distance of over 20 meters. It is the presence of folds that causes these reptiles to live at altitude. Their favorite height is upper layer of the forest. Even going down a little lower is already a bad option.

Flying dragons spend most of their time motionless. This is because their color helps them remain invisible while sitting on a tree without moving. They feed on ants, insect larvae and adult insects that they encounter in their habitat.

The moment flying dragons see their prey, they jump in its direction and straighten their folds. Their goal is to catch an insect in flight and land on a nearby tree. They succeed in this thanks to good maneuverability in the air, which, in turn, is achieved due to the presence of a tail and a fold under the throat.

One of characteristic features Flying lizards can be called having their own territory. Each flying lizard occupies about three trees, which it uses for hunting. If an animal the size of a flying dragon lands on one of the trees, it will first begin trying to drive away the enemy appearance, and then attacks the invader.

In a female flying dragon, in turn, also has a special manner of behavior. Despite the fact that they spend most of their time in the trees, they have to descend and lay eggs in the ground.

With the help of their pointed nose, they dig small holes in which they lay up to four eggs. After this, they cover the holes with mud and guard them for 24 hours. After this period they return to the top.

The most common types

There are about thirty species of flying dragons. The main ones:

• Draco affinis
• Draco biaro
• Draco bimaculatus
• Draco blanfordii – Blanford's flying dragon
• Draco caerulhians
• Draco cornutus - horned flying dragon

Considering that dragon lizards spend most of their time camouflaging themselves, one should not be surprised that they have been little studied. Scientists have no information about, how long do dragons live and how many babies hatch from each egg. It is known that small flying dragons can fly immediately after hatching.

There are many legends and tales associated with dragons in the world, but what if dragon lizards exist in real world? We present to your attention flying lizard dragon, living on the islands of the Malay archipelago. The dragon lives in the interior of the island, mainly in the forests at the treetops.

This one is not big in size lizard that looks like a dragon They were named for a reason. The thing is that, despite their small size, they resemble those very dragons that are often depicted by artists in various science fiction novels and fairy tales.

Biologists have given lizard dragon name Draco volans, which means "flying dragon". Adults do not exceed 40-50cm in size.

Thanks to his large size and the ability to fly, they easily cover long distances, flying from tree to tree. They gained the ability to fly thanks to a leather membrane located on the sides; during flight, it stretches and can stay in the air.

Character and lifestyle of the dragon lizard

On the skeleton of the lizard you can see enlarged lateral ribs, a very elongated tail, the bone of which gradually tapers at the end.

All this is stretched by a very strong skin membrane, it stretches and straightens as the lizard flies, creating an air flow that allows the lizard to plan its flight.

Males have a special hyoid process near the throat, stretched by skin, which helps them “aim” during flight and is a bit like the front part of an airplane.

With the help of its coloring, the dragon lizard is perfectly camouflaged in tropical thickets; the camouflage allows it to merge with the bark of a tree, making it almost invisible.

Thanks to its coloring, the dragon lizard is perfectly camouflaged in trees.

Lizard dragon animal very quick and elusive. Thanks to their innate ability to glide in the air and excellent camouflage, they can rightfully be considered excellent hunters.

There are not many species of lizards in nature that have the ability to fly. The dragon lizard is one of the most common. The species itself is very poorly studied, all because they lead a very hidden lifestyle. Due to the fact that they spend almost all their lives on the tops tropical trees, making them almost impossible to see up close.

Due to the fact that lizard dragon small creature, it is a target for many predators, for these reasons the lizard very rarely descends to the ground. This protects herself from all sorts of dangers.

Lizard camouflage is another universal tool that allows you to hunt and hide from other predators. When another predator approaches, the lizard freezes on the tree bark, thereby making it almost impossible to notice it.

But if the dragon lizard was nevertheless noticed, it easily flies to another branch at a very high speed, which is why even scientists are not always able to notice it during a flight.

Dragon lizard feeding

The dragon lizard is a predatory animal. Mainly eats small insects, various insects and all the small inhabitants tropical forest. These are mainly those that live in trees. They have very well developed hearing, which greatly improves their hunting skills and strategy.

The lizard's hunting zones are strictly separated, so they periodically have clashes over territory. Territories of this small predator sometimes does not exceed the distance between two trees, to which they fly in search of the next butterfly or small caterpillar.

If a victim is detected, it spreads its “wings”, extends its sharp claws and catches an unsuspecting victim.

They eat very little, they hardly need water due to the fact that there is always enough of it in their diet. It never descends to the ground in search of prey due to the fact that below it can almost always be caught by other predators who are not averse to feasting on the little dragon.

Their ability to fly is genetic, so even from the first minutes of life, they can engage in activities familiar to adult lizards - hunting and searching for prey.

In pet stores you can see a variety of different dragon lizard species. The varied colors and unusual structure of the lizard make them popular among lovers of exotic animals.

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 species of reptile that is capable of traveling distances by air. So, we will tell you about the species of lizard Draco volans, which in Latin means “flying dragon”.

Flying dragons belong to the family Agamaidae, a subfamily of Afro-Arabian agamas. The habitats of these strange reptiles are located in remote corners of Southeast Asia. Flying dragons live in trees tropical forests the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, the Philippines, as well as in the southeastern part of India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

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

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

The structure of the “wings” of flying dragons is very unique. The lateral ribs of this lizard are significantly increased 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, transition, with spots, specks and stripes.

An interesting fact is that males have hallmark- skin fold bright orange. Moreover, 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 migration, 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. He 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 on certain territory, which usually consists of several neighboring trees. These descend from the trees only in case of an unsuccessful flight, or to lay 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 organ of hearing, which allows them to hear the approach of prey long before it appears near the reptile.

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