| Southern Angle Headed Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Southern Angle Headed Dragon - Boorganna Nature Reserve, near Taree, New South Wales, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | Hypsilurus |
| Species: | H. spinipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypsilurus spinipes Dumerel & Bibron 1851 |
|
The Southern Angle Headed Dragon (Hypsilurus spinipes) is native to eastern Australian rainforests and rainforest margins from around Gosford in NSW to near Gympie in Queensland.
The Southern Angle Headed Dragon has a large and continuous nuchal crest with a moderately large vertebral crest. The angular brow is pronounced on both adults and juveniles. The snout to vent length is around 110 to 150 mm, additionally there is a long tail which takes the total length to 35 cm.
The colours varies from shades of brown, grey and green. Patterns where present comprise of various irregular mottling, blotches and variegations. The Southern Angle Headed Dragon is cryptic, slow moving and well camouflaged. Sometimes encountered basking in sunlight after rain. Often perching on buttresses, sapling stems or old stumps. They tend not to dash for cover, but slide discreetly out of view.
The diet includes insects and other arthropods such as spiders and centipedes. Eggs are laid in shallow nests in rainforest clearings, including road edges and walking tracks. There is some evidence that will occasionally lay communal nests. The eggs are vulnerable to predation. particularly by goannas.