Draco dussumieri
| Draco dussumieri | |
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| A male with a long yellow dewlap that is rapidly flicked forward in display | |
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| A Draco Dussumieri female with a relatively smaller dewlap | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Subfamily: | Draconinae |
| Genus: | Draco |
| Species: | D. dussumieri |
| Binomial name | |
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Draco dussumieri A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837 |
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| Draco dussumieri range in relation to the ranges of a few other Draco species | |
Draco dussumieri or southern flying lizard, is a species of agamid lizard capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found in the Western Ghats and hill forests of southern India. They are almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where they climb tree to forage for insects and glide to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which are supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck are also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue to support them. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. Males have a more colourful patagium than females and they prominently extend their yellow dewlaps forward in display. Although living almost their entire lives on the trees, females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the western most distribution within the genus Draco, the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia.
The southern flying lizard is brown with patches of grey that match the pattern of tree bark. They can change their colour to a limited extent. They are about 23 cm long, with a snout to vent of about 7 to 9 cm and a 10 to 13 cm tail. The head is round with a short snout and the nostrils point upwards. They are active during the day after they have warmed up in the early morning sun. Males have a long yellow dewlap which is shorter in the females. These lizards climb up the trees in search of insect prey on the trunks and leap off when the reach the top to land on adjoining trees. They are able to glide by extending their patagia, flaps of skin on the side of the body that are supported by six elongated ribs with special musculature to extend them outwards. The muscles on the breast are also modified to breathe more efficiently and support their active lifestyle. In addition the sides of the neck are also stretched out to form a pair of smaller wings around the head. They are able to control the direction of the glide using their tails. The patagium is patterned on the underside with black blotches on yellow and purple. Patterns vary individually and these marking have been used to identify and estimate population sizes. A horn-like, conical tubercle behind and above the posterior part of the eye is prominent. Males have a small crest arising on the nape. The yellow gular sac on the throat is long and narrow, longer in the male. The back is rough and the throat has irregular brown spots. In addition to the patagium, the hyoid apparatus (part of the tongue) expands throat lappets horizontally so that the head is also supported on its sides by small wing like structures.
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Wikipedia