Characteristics of flying dragon

 

What are the characteristics of flying dragon?

Darting across the forest floor, where predators keep sneaking, it is quite dangerous and risky for such a lizard to move around.

So over thousands of years, the Draco lizard evolved and has taken the ground movement out of the equation by adapting the capacity for flight.

These flying dragons reach about 8 inches long, including tail. They have a set of elongated ribs, which can be extended and retracted.

Image by- A.S.Kono - Own work

They also have a flap of skin on the bottom of their necks called a dewlap.

The flattened body, mottled brown in color, also aid in their flight.

Between these ribs are folds of skin that rest flat against the body when not in use, but act as wings when unfolded, allowing the Draco to catch the wind and glide through the thin air.

Photo by David S. McLeod.

The lizards use their long, slender tails to steer themselves, and each sortie can carry them up to 30 feet.

This is a defensive characteristic of this lizard.

The undersides of their wings are blue in males and yellow in females. The dewlap is bright yellow in males and bluish gray in females.


Also read:

What are flying lizards?

Are wrap around spiders dangerous?

Difference between flying dragon and birds


Image courtesy: 

’Draco spilonotus’By A.S.Kono – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia  

Recharchgate-flying-lizard


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