Ornate Tree Lizard: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Lizards · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Flip over an adult male and you would see two turquoise patches on his belly. Females do not have them.
2. Some males wear a blue spot on an orange throat, like a badge of rank. When two meet, the one with the bigger blue spot usually wins.
3. Plain orange-throated males are the careful type: they run from a predator sooner and stay hidden longer than blue-spotted males.
4. It mostly eats insects, but it has been seen gulping down objects that were not food at all, mistaking them for a meal.
5. It stays busy nearly all year. It is active in every month except December, slipping out on the warmest days of November and January.

The quiz

1. Where do adult male ornate tree lizards have turquoise patches?

• On the tail tip
• On the top of the head
• On the belly (correct)
• On the feet

Adult males have paired turquoise patches on the belly.

2. When two blue-spotted males meet, which one usually dominates?

• The one with the bigger blue spot (correct)
• The younger one
• The one with the longer tail
• The one that arrived first

A larger blue spot goes with higher status.

3. How do plain orange-throated males react to a predator?

• They attack it
• They flee sooner and hide longer (correct)
• They freeze in the open
• They puff up and hiss

They escape when the predator is farther away and hide for longer.

4. What has the ornate tree lizard been known to swallow by mistake?

• Its own tail
• Snow
• Bird feathers
• Objects it took for food (correct)

It has eaten inanimate objects, thinking they were food.

5. In which month are ornate tree lizards NOT active?

• February
• December (correct)
• November
• January

They are active every month except December.

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