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Frilled
Lizard or Chlamydosaurus
- Found in Australia and New Guinea,
this lizard
averages 33 inches in length and spends most of its time in
trees feeding on insects and small mammals.
The
frilled lizard is of
interest because it can run standing up on its hind legs with its
forelegs and tail in the air and because of the scaly membrane around
its neck that is used in defensive posture. This neck frill, often as
wide as the lizard is long,
lies like a cape over the shoulders. When irritated, the frill becomes
perpendicular to the body, enabling the lizard
to surprise its enemies by suddenly displaying a head several times
its normal size.
"Chlamydosaurus." Encyclopędia
Britannica from Encyclopędia Britannica Premium Service
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