Draco dussumieri

rdf:langString Draco dussumieri

rdf:langString Draco dussumieri

rdf:langString A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837

rdf:langString Draco

rdf:langString DracoDussumieriFemaleCrop.jpg

rdf:langString A male with a long yellow dewlap that is rapidly flicked forward in display

rdf:langString Draco distribution.svg

rdf:langString Draco dussumieri range in relation to the ranges of a few other Draco species

rdf:langString dussumieri

rdf:langString LC

rdf:langString IUCN3.1

rdf:langString Draco dussumieri, also known comonly as the Indian flying lizard, the southern flying lizard, and the Western Ghats flying lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found principally in the Western Ghats and some other hill forests of Southern India. It is almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where it climbs trees to forage for insects and glides to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which is supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck is also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue as support. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. The male has a more colourful patagium than the female, and it prominently extends its yellow dewlap forward in display. Although living almost its entire life in trees, the female descends to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the westernmost distribution within the genus Draco, the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia.

rdf:langString A Draco dussumieri female with a relatively smaller dewlap