![]() This allows the nest to receive sunlight for most of the day. Nests are located in flat areas with sandy soil and little grass or leaf litter and no vegetation directly over the nest. ![]() After mating has occurred, the female will lay anywhere between four to thirteen eggs, with the average size of a clutch being eight. While mating, males will fight one another and use their frill to impress a female. Breeding takes place during the wet season, usually between October and March. BREEDINGįrilled dragons are territorial and prefer to live alone except during mating season. Nigel gets water by drinking water droplets that have been collected on the leaves in his enclosure, similar to how he would hydrate in nature. To be honest, Nigel’s favorite meal is a squishy hornworm. Nigel does not need to hunt for his food but is instead offered a daily meal of super worms and crickets with the occasional cockroach. But if neither seems like an option, the lizard fights back, utilizing the frill for which he is recognized and named. If the lizard finds itself in a position where it feels threatened, its first instinct is to run toward the nearest tree or lie motionless. However, the food search will, at times, force them to venture out of the trees and onto the ground where they are more exposed. They prefer to hunt for food within the trees’ safety where they can remain hidden from predators. They have also been known to make a meal of smaller lizards and mammals. They eat a variety of insects such as spiders, beetles, termites, cicadas, and ants. ON THE HUNTįrilled dragons are ambush predators meaning they hunt by lying in wait for prey to pass close by and then pounce on their victims. In the wild, a frilled dragon will spend up to 90% of its time in trees.Ī frilled dragon has grey and brown scaly skin with patterns similar to tree bark which helps it easily blend with the surrounding environment and makes it very difficult for predators to see.įrilled dragons spend much of their time-pressed flat against the trunk of trees watching for predators and looking for food. Nigel, like all frilled dragons, is arboreal. Nigel spends much of his morning on a tree branch, basking in the warmth of a heat lamp. We keep the temperature and humidity in Nigel’s enclosure at levels similar to those he would be enjoying in nature. They love the warmth of the sun and enjoy basking during morning hours and in the early afternoon. They are native to the tropical parts of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, where they inhabit forests and woodlands with lots of trees.įrilled dragons are active during the day. THEIR ENVIRONMENTįrilled dragons prefer a warm, almost hot, and humid environment. At JMDC, Nigel rarely extends the frill around its neck, although we occasionally get the opportunity to see it when he is stretching. When trying to escape potential danger, the frilled lizard will run using only its hind legs. In addition to displaying its frill, the lizard will also stand up on two legs with its mouth wide and let out a loud hiss to try and frighten its predators away. ![]() The frill can be up to 12 inches in diameter when it is fully erect. It is supported by spines connected to the lizard’s jawbones and can only be erected while the lizard is opening its mouth. The frill is a large, colorful, circular membrane of skin that projects both upwards and outwards from the lizard’s neck. When frightened, this lizard stands on its hind legs, opens its mouth wide, and ruffles out a colorful scaly red and yellow frill to intimidate its attacker by making the lizard appear much larger and scarier than it actually is. The frilled dragon gets its name from the ruff of skin it keeps folded behind its head. ![]() WHERE DO FRILLED DRAGON’S GET THEIR NAME? The dragon lizards category also includes the Komodo dragon and the bearded dragon, putting Nigel in with some pretty impressive company. Some dragon lizards may have spines, crests, or, like Nigel, flaps on the head or back. He belongs to a family of lizards known as dragons because of their perceived similarities to the dragons of lore.Īll lizards in this group have sharp, chisel-shaped teeth that are fixed to the jaw. No, not the dragons of myths and fairy tales. Since his arrival here, Nigel has grown several inches and is well on his way to the three feet in length (including his tail) he will reach as an adult. A year ago, Nigel arrived at Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center as a mere youngster, about ten months old. He has a ¾ Australian, ¼ New Guinea heritage. Nigel is a frilled lizard, also known as a frilled dragon or a frilled-neck lizard.
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