Lizards are part of a group of animals known as reptiles and are believed to have walked the Earth for some 200 million years. As of now, approximately 5,000 lizard species are known including iguanas, chameleons, geckos, Gila monsters, monitors, and skinks. Here is the list of 16 lizards that look like dragons,
Lizards That Look Like Dragons
1. Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons are also known as pogona and they are one of the most popular lizard pets around the world. They are known for their cute appearance and impressive intelligence. The lizard species is venomous, however, their venom has no harmful effect on humans. The unique part is that they do not have a liquid drink instead, urine comes out as a powdery substance, known as uric acid, alongside other waste. The avarage lifespan of a bearded dragon is between 8 to 14 years in captivity, howvever, it is shorter in the wild. The body length of bearded dragons is between 18 to 24 inches.
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. Chinese Water Dragon
The Chinese water dragon is a species of agamid lizard native to China and mainland Southeast Asia. The body length of these lizard species is upto 1 meter and the average weight is upto 998 grams. It is also known as Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, or green water dragon and the genus name is Greek for “inflated jaw”. The avarage lifespan of a Chinese water dragon is between 10 to 15 years. The dietary habit is carnivores in nature and feeds on insects, small fish, mammals, or reptiles.
3. Flying Dragon Lizards
The flying dragon lizard is one of the lizards that look like dragons and can glide using wing-like lateral extensions of its skin called patagia. They are mostly seen in the tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. The lizard species are arboreal and love to spend most of their time in trees. The body length is upto 22 cm and the average weight is between 20 to 21 grams. The average lifespan of a flying dragon lizard is upto 8 years. The dietary habit is carnivorous and feeds on ants and termites.
Image Source: Wikimedia
4. Red-eyed Crocodile Skink
The red-eyed crocodile skink is a skink species endemic to New Guinea and thrives in the region of tropical rainforest habitat. The body length is upto 25 cm and the average weight is between 36 to 45 grams. The avarage lifespan of red-eyed crocodile skink is between 6 to 10 years in the wild. The lizard species was first described by Nelly de Rooij in the year 1909. The primary Ddiet. Including fruit flies, mealworms, and small crickets. There are various red-eyed crocodile facts that you shoukd definately know.
Image Source: Nature Aura
5. Northern Caiman Lizard
The northern caiman lizard is one of the lizards that look like dragons found in northern South America. The body length of lizard species is up to 4 ft long and the average weight is up to 10 lb (4.5 kg). They are seen in South American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the Guianas. The species loves to spend most of the time basking on branches overhanging waterways such that it may be able to flee from predation by disappearing underwater. The avarage lifespan of the northern caiman lizard is between 8 to 12 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Armadillo Girdled Lizard
The armadillo-girdled lizard is one of the animals that crawl endemic to desert areas along the western coast of South Africa and belongs to the family Cordylidae. The body length of an armadillo-girdled lizard is between 7.5 to 9 cm and the average weight is upto 8 kg. The primary diet includes invertebrates, such as insects and spiders, but sometimes also may take plant material. The avarage lifespan of an armadillo-girdled lizard is between 20 to 25 years. These are diurnal lizards and find shelter in rock cracks and crevices during the night.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Philippine Sailfin Lizard
The Philippine sailfin lizard also known as sailfin lizard, crested lizard, sail-fin lizard, sailfin water lizard, or soa-soa water lizard is native to several islands of the Philippines, New Guinea, and some regions of Eastern Indonesia. The dietary habit is omnivores in nature and feeds on plants including leaves and fruits in addition to insects and crustaceans. The body length is between 80 to 100 cm and the average weight is between 2.3 to 3 kg. The avarage lifespan of a Philippine sailfin lizard is 10 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Marine Iguana
The marine iguana also known as sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana are iguana species only found in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). The body length is between 50 to 100 cm and the average wieght is upto 10 kilograms. Marine Iguana is the only sea-going lizards in the world that require access to the sea and a sandy area in which to lay eggs. The primary diet includes marine algae and they will dive into the sea to forage, sometimes diving as deep as 12 m (39 ft) and staying submerged for more than an hour. The avarage lifespan of marine iguanas is upto 30 years.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon is also one of the lizards that look like dragons that live on 4 specific islands such as Komodo, Flores, Rinca, and Gili Motang. One of the apex predators believed that they are one of the oldest animal species that existed for millions of years, however, discovered, 100 years ago when Plan accidentally landed on the island. The lizard species hunt during the day because they don’t see well during the night and they even have poor sense of hearing. The avarage lifespan of a Komodo dragon is 30 years in the wild and only a few years in captivity. It is also listed as one of the dumbest animals in the world.
10. Frilled Neck Lizard
The frilled neck lizard also known as frilled dragon or frilled agama is a lizard species that belongs to the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to northern Australia and southern New Guinea and only member of the genus Chlamydosaurus. The body length is upto 85 cm and the average weight is between 0.5 to 1 kilograms. The avarage lifespan of a frilled-neck lizard is between 10 to 20 years. They are the largest species of dragon family of lizards in Australia and are popular for their unique fold of skin, surrounding its throat.
Image Source: Wikimedia
11. Horned Lizard
The horned lizard is among the lizards that look like dragons and are native to western North America. It is also referred to as “horny toads,” but they are not toads but lizards. Talking about appearance, they have a distinctive flat body with one row of fringe scales down the sides. The colouration of the lizard species will vary and can be beige, tan, or reddish dorsum with contrasting, wavy blotches of darker olor. These iCard species are found in southeastern Oregon, California, western Arizona and Utah, and Nevada. The primary diet includes crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, worms, flies, ladybirds, meal worms, and some plant material.
Image Source: Wikimedia
12. Crested Gecko
The Crested Gecko is a lizard species native to southern New Caledonia. It was first described by a French zoologist named Alphonse Guichenot. The body length is up to 15 to 25 cm, and the average weight is up to 25 to 40 grams. The species was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 during an expedition led by Robert Seipp. These species are endemic to the South Province, New Caledonia. The primary diet includes insects, fruit, pollen, and nectar. The average lifespan of the Crested Gecko is between 15 and 20 years.
Image Source: Wikimedia
13. Plumed basilisk
The plumed basilisk, scientifically known as Basiliscus plumifrons, is a lizard species that belongs to the family Corytophanidae. It is also known as a green basilisk, double crested basilisk, or Jesus Christ lizard, and the species is native to Central America. Talking about the appearance, the adult species is green in colour, along with bright yellow eyes and small bluish spots along the dorsal ridge. The males are identified with the help of three crests, such as one on the head, one on the back, and one on the tail. However, females can be identified with the help of the head crest. The juvelinbes of these species are less conspicuously coloured and lack the characteristic crests.
Image Source: Wikimedia
14. Mexican Alligator Lizard
The Mexican Alligator Lizard is an endangered species of lizard native to Mexico. It was initially described under the genus Gerrhonotus as Gerrhonotus gramineus by Edward D. Cope in 1864. The body length of lizard species is up to 16 cm, and their average weight is up to 21 grams. The average lifespan of the Mexican alligator lizard is up to 10 years in the wild. The body shape is flattened, with a triangular head and a weak lateral fold, and they are widely distributed across the highlands of Mexico along the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range. They feed on a wide variety of insects and other arthropods.
Image Source: Wikimedia
15. Jackson’s Chameleon
Jackson Chameleon is one of the lizards in Hawaii, where males have three brown horns; however, females have no horns or instead have traces of the rostral horn. The colouration of the lizard species is bright green, with some individual animals having traces of blue and yellow and knowing to change colour quickly depending on mood, health, and temperature. They are found in south-central Kenya and northern Tanzania. The primary diet includes caterpillars, slugs, arthropods, worms, spiders, lizards, small birds, and snails.
16. Leopard Gecko
The common leopard gecko, scientifically known as Eublepharis macularius, is a ground-dwelling lizard found in south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwest India, and some parts of Iran. The body length is up to 18 to 28 cm, and the average weight is up to 50 to 80 grams. The dietary habit is insectivores in nature and feeds on crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms/superworms, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, beetles, and other insects. The avarag lifespan of Leopard Gecko is up to 15 to 25 years in the wild.
Image source: Casey Mayers
These are the lizards that look like dragons. Kindly share and post your comments.
