Frill-necked Lizard: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Lizards · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. When threatened, a frilled lizard erects its frill to look bigger. It also gapes, puffs, hisses and lashes its tail.
2. Fully spread, the frill is a disc around 30 cm across, over four times the length of the lizard's torso.
3. Frilled lizards run on two legs to hunt or escape. To stay balanced, they lean the head far back, in line with the tail base.
4. A frilled lizard waits in a tree, then climbs down and rushes at its prey on two legs. It drops onto all four to grab it.
5. Eggs incubate for two to four months. Milder temperatures produce more males, more extreme ones produce more females.

The quiz

1. What does a threatened frilled lizard do with its frill?

• Hides it under a leaf
• Erects it to look bigger (correct)
• Shakes it like a rattle
• Tucks it into its mouth

Raising the frill makes the lizard look much bigger to an attacker.

2. About how wide is a fully spread frill?

• About 3 cm
• About 10 cm
• About 90 cm
• About 30 cm (correct)

Fully extended, the frill is a disc around 30 cm across.

3. How do frilled lizards stay balanced when running on two legs?

• They spread the frill
• They swing the tail up
• They hold their arms out
• They lean the head far back (correct)

They lean the head far back so it lines up behind the base of the tail.

4. How does a frilled lizard hunt?

• It chases prey for hours
• It digs traps in sand
• It waits in a tree, then rushes prey (correct)
• It hunts in packs

It watches from a tree, then climbs down and rushes at its prey on two legs.

5. What do milder temperatures produce in frilled lizard eggs?

• More females
• Bigger frills
• More males (correct)
• Faster hatching

Milder temperatures produce more males, while more extreme ones produce more females.

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