Maned forest lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maned forest lizard |
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Bronchocela
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| Species: |
jubata
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The maned forest lizard (scientific name: Bronchocela jubata) is a type of lizard. It belongs to a family of lizards called Agamidae. You can find this lizard mainly in Indonesia. It lives on islands like Singkep, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and Borneo. It also lives in Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Some people used to think it lived in India, but scientists now know it does not. This lizard is sometimes called a "bloodsucker," but that name is wrong. It does not drink blood.
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What Does It Look Like?
The maned forest lizard can grow quite long. It can be up to 55 centimeters (about 22 inches) from its head to the tip of its tail. Its tail is very long, making up most of its body length.
This lizard has a special crest on its neck. This crest looks more like hair than the spiky crown-like crest of its close relative, B. cristatella. The crest is made of long scales, but it feels soft and floppy.
Its head is shaped like a square. It also has a soft pouch under its chin. The lizard has large, flexible eyelids covered in tiny, speckled scales.
Colors of the Maned Forest Lizard
The back of the lizard is usually light to dark green. But if it feels scared or in danger, it can change its color to brown or even black. You might see a rusty-colored spot under its throat. There are also more spots on its shoulders and sides, which sometimes blend into a stripe. Towards its tail, the colors become a bit duller.
The underside of the lizard is yellowish or white. This color is seen under its chin, neck, belly, and the back of its legs. Its hands and feet are yellowish-brown underneath. The tail starts green with some bluish spots. As you look further down the tail, it turns a dull brown with whitish spots at the very end.
The scales on the maned forest lizard are hard and strong. Its tail feels a bit angular or ridged.
Habits
The maned forest lizard usually lives in low bushes or hides in thick trees. You might sometimes see it fall from a bush or tree. This often happens when it is chasing its food. But don't worry, it quickly runs back to the safety of the nearest plant.
What Does It Eat?
This lizard eats many different small insects. Its favorite foods include butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and flies.
To catch its prey, the maned forest lizard is very patient. It often waits quietly at the top of a tree. Sometimes, it will slowly rock back and forth. This makes it look like it's just swaying in the wind, helping it blend in. It can also be seen using electric cables to move from one place to another.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The maned forest lizard lays its eggs in soft ground. It prefers loose earth, sand, or a mix of decaying leaves called humus. Like many lizards in the Agamidae family, the mother lizard uses her snout to dig a hole for her eggs.
The eggs are white and feel waxy and leathery. They are not hard like bird eggs.
One study in the Situgede jungle, near Bogor, found lizard eggs buried in sandy soil. They were under a layer of humus, right beneath some bushes in an open part of the forest. The two eggs were long, about 7 by 40 millimeters (0.27 by 1.57 inches). They were placed side by side and covered with a thin layer of soil. Another time, eggs were found on Walat Mountain, Sukabumi. These eggs were covered by a thin layer of humus in the middle of a jungle path.
