Frilled Neck Lizard
Overview:The frilled neck lizard grows to around 45-90 cm with two-thirds being its tail. It has a pink or yellow colored mouth and a large expandable frill gathered around the neck and throat. The frilled lizard has one of the most creative protections. This lizard opens up a frill around its neck to make it look scary intimidating predator or prey. If the tactic of intimidation does not work, it resorts to a nearby tree for safety.
Habitats & Challenges:
The frilled neck lizard are members of the dragon family that spend most of their lives in trees, but occasionally descend to feed on ants and lizards. Frilled neck lizards live in tropical and warm temperate forests and savanna woodlands in northern Australia. Frilled lizards is a master of adaptions, as they live in temperate forests, its environment experiences a variety of weather conditions that the frilled neck needs to adapt to. During the dry season, the frilled neck lizard decreases its activity in response for the lack of food and water. Their temperature is decreased by a couple of degrees during the dry season to help conserve energy. The metabolism is also slowed by around 23% due to the lack of activity and food. During the wet season, the frilled neck lizard increases its activity drastically taking advantage of the abundance of food and increase in metabolism. Frilled neck lizards choose the rainy season as their mating season because they are healthy and nourished. Adaptions & Behaviors : The abiotic factors of a frilled neck lizard include background color of its environment, which affect the lizards color itself. Part of a frilled neck lizards adaption is found in their appearance which is their ability to blend in with their environment, because they spend most of their days in trees. The frilled neck developed a camouflage that is a very effective defense against predators. Their main predators are birds of prey, larger lizards, snakes, dingoes and feral cats. They are not threatened nor protected but habitat reduction and predator areas, particularly feral cats affect their population. They are capable of moving in great speed when running. When they are threatened or disturbed, they dash to the nearest tree but sometimes may go into a "freeze" mode. If the lizard is cornered it would face its aggressor and erects the frill as a defense mechanism for which frilled neck lizards are famous for. The lizards frill is opened by its pink or yellow colored mouth. With the sudden increase of the mouth, the frilled lizard is sometimes accompanied by hissing, standing up on its hind legs and leaping at or chasing its predator which is the frilled neck lizards way of giving a warning. If the warning does not work, the lizard resorts to a nearby tree. Patterns: The rhythmic pattern of the frilled neck lizard is the increase and decrease in activity during the seasons. Their morning hours are spent basking in the sun in order to rise their body temperature. Filled neck lizards have a body temperature of about two to three degrees, during the year the frilled neck lizards alter their activity and behavior during the two seasons. During the dry season, the activity of the frilled neck lizard decrease as well as their metabolism, so they spend their time perched up in trees. The wet season brings boosted activity levels to the frilled necks increasing metabolism, food supply and energy. All of these changes is because of the higher temperatures, higher humidity, more rain and food. This is one of the main reasons why the frilled neck lizards choose the wet season as their mating season. Around the beginning of September, the male frilled necks will become very active to attract other females. The male frilled necks always compete with each other often fighting or opening their frills. Frilled Neck Basking in the Sun |
Frilled Neck Lizard HabitatCamouflageFrilled Neck Lizard Threatened |