Southern angle-headed dragon, Southern forest dragon
The southern angle-headed dragon or southern forest dragon (Lophosaurus spinipes, ) is a species of agamid lizard endemic to Australia.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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starts withThe southern angle-headed dragon has a large and continuous nuchal crest with a moderately large vertebral crest. The angular brow is pronounced on both adults and juveniles. The snout to vent length is around 110 to 150 mm (4.3 to 5.9 in), additionally there is a long tail which takes the total length to 350 mm (14 in).
The colour varies from shades of brown, grey and green. Patterns where present consist of various irregular mottling, blotches and variegations.
L. spinipes is native to eastern Australian rainforests and rainforest margins from around Gosford in New South Wales to near Gympie in Queensland. It is also present in Barrington Tops National Park, New South Wales.
Primarily arboreal, the southern angle-headed dragon is cryptic, slow moving and well camouflaged. It's sometimes encountered basking in sunlight after rain but is mostly a thermoconformer, allowing its body temperature to fluctuate with the ambient temperature. It is usually seen perching on the trunks of small trees or on buttress roots or old stumps. When disturbed, it tends not to dash for cover, but rather slides around the trunk until it is out of view.
The diet includes insects and other arthropods such as spiders and centipedes.
Eggs are laid in shallow nests in rainforest clearings, including along road edges and walking tracks. There is some evidence that females will occasionally lay communal nests. The eggs are vulnerable to predation, particularly by goannas.
