Quick Facts
- Type
- Reptile
- Size
- Up to about 90 cm including tail
- Weight
- About 0.5 kg
- Habitat
- Tropical woodlands of northern Australia and New Guinea
- Diet
- Insects, spiders, and small vertebrates
- Active Time
- Active by day (diurnal)
- Lifespan
- 10–20 years
Field Notes
- When threatened it flares a wide neck frill to look bigger and more frightening.
- If the bluff fails, it runs away on its hind legs like a tiny dinosaur.
- The frill is supported by rods of cartilage connected to the jaw.
About the Frilled Lizard
The frilled lizard is a tree-dwelling reptile of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, named for the large, pleated frill of skin around its neck. Normally folded flat against the body, the frill can be flared into a wide, startling collar when the lizard is threatened. Combined with a gaping mouth and hissing, this bluff makes the lizard look much larger and can scare off predators; if that fails, it sprints away on its hind legs. It spends much of its time in trees, hunting insects and small animals.
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