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frilled lizard
frilled lizard Frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii).

frilled lizard

reptile
Also known as: Chlamydosaurus kingii
Written by
George R. Zug
Curator Emeritus, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
George R. Zug
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History

frilled lizard, (Chlamydosaurus kingii), type of reptile found in Australia and New Guinea that can run standing up on its hind legs with its forelegs and tail in the air. The scaly membrane around its neck is used as a large part of the lizard’s defensive posture. Normally, the neck frill, often as wide as the lizard is long, lies like a cape over the shoulders. When the lizard is irritated or threatened, it can raise the frill perpendicular to its body, enabling it to surprise its enemies by suddenly displaying a head several times its normal size.

frilled lizard
frilled lizardThe frill of a frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii).

Chlamydosaurus kingii averages 85 cm (33 inches) in length and spends most of its time in trees feeding on insects and small mammals.

George R. Zug