Family Agamidae Scientific name Draco Higher classification Agamidae Order Scaled reptiles | Suborder Iguania Rank Genus | |
 | ||
Similar Draco volans, Reptile, Agamidae, Common Gliding Lizard, Scaled reptiles | ||
Draco is a genus of agamid lizards that are also known as flying dragons or gliding lizards. The ribs and their connecting membrane may be extended to create "wings" (patagia), the hindlimbs are flattened and wing-like in cross-section, and a flap on the neck (the gular flag) serve as a horizontal stabilizers. Draco are arboreal insectivores. While not capable of powered flight they often obtain lift in the course of their gliding flights. Glides as long as 60 m (200 ft) have been recorded, over which the animal loses only 10 m (33 ft) in height, which is quite some distance, considering that one of these lizards is only around 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length (tail included).
Contents
Reproduction
The only time a flying lizard ventures to the ground is when a female is ready to lay her eggs. She descends the tree she is on and makes a nest hole by forcing her head into the soil. She then lays 2–5 eggs before filling the hole. She guards the eggs for approximately 24 hours, but then leaves and has nothing more to do with her offspring.
Etymology
Linnaeus derived the name of this genus from the Latin term for mythological dragons.
Species
The following 42 species are recognized:
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Draco.
Gliding
The lizards are well known for their "display structures" and ability to glide long distances using their wing-like, patagial membranes supported by elongated thoracic ribs to generate lift forces.
In fiction
Draco dussumieri features prominently in a fictional work or novel named Carvalho (ಕರ್ವಾಲೊ) in Kannada written by Poornachandra Tejaswi. In this story, Carvalho (ಕರ್ವಾಲೊ) , a middle aged scientist searches for this flying lizard in the forests of the Western Ghats in the state of Karnataka India.