Lyre head lizard
A species of Lyriocephalus, Also known as Lyreshead lizard Scientific name : Lyriocephalus scutatus Genus : Lyriocephalus
Lyre head lizard, A species of Lyriocephalus
Also known as:
Lyreshead lizard
Scientific name: Lyriocephalus scutatus
Genus: Lyriocephalus
Content
Description General Info
Photo By questagame , used under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
Lyriocephalus scutatus is a species of lizard within the agamid family, the only species in the genus Lyriocephalus. It is the largest agamid endemic to Sri Lanka and lives in dense wet zone forests. It is also called the Hump-nosed Lizard, Hump Snout Lizard or the Lyreshead Lizard. In Sinhalese language, it is known as "Kandukara Bodilima - à¶à¶¯à·à¶à¶» බà·à¶¯à·à¶½à·à¶¸à·."
General Info
Lifespan
8-12 years
Diet
Lyre head lizard is predominantly characterized by its insectivorous dietary regime, feasting primarily on small arthropods. Its diet typically contains a variety of beetles, bugs, and spiders, highlighting its diversity in prey selection.
Appearance
The lyre head lizard is a small-to-medium-sized lizard with a robust and slightly flattened body, covered in rough, granular scales. This species exhibits a dominant green coloration, often intermingled with dark brown, black, or bluish tints. Notably, it has a large hood-like structure on its neck called a gular flap. Unlike many other lizards, the lyre head lizard has prominent nasal appendages resembling small horns. There are no significant differences in appearance due to age, gender, or subspecies.
Behavior
Lyre head lizard are known for their unusual behavioural adaptation of thermoregulation: they bask using lateral body presentation, exposing one side to the sun while the other rests in the shade. Predominantly solitary, they display aggressive territoriality, and contrasts in colouration emerge during bouts to ward off rivals. Their behaviours are primarily diurnal.
Photo By questagame , used under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Reptiles Order
Lizards and snakes Family
Dragons Genus
Lyriocephalus Species
Lyre head lizard