Changeable Lizard

Description

It is medium sized with a relatively large head, in males there is a small gular sac in the throat. Its tail is more than twice the length of its body. It has a crest on the neck and a pair of small spines on the tympanum. Body colour is generally light brown. The back has a broad brown stripe with a yellowish lateral band. Breeding males have a red colour on the head and neck with black spots on the shoulders.

Behaviour

They are diurnal and arboreal. The female lays five to sixteen soft oval eggs in tree hollows or holes in the ground that she has dug and then covers them. The young hatch after 8 to 9 weeks.

Interesting Facts

Widely distributed and highly tolerant of habitat modification. It is used in India as a laboratory animal model. In China, it is collected for traditional medicine and consumption.