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title: "What the sources say about the Frilled Lizard | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Frilled Lizard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Frilled Lizard (*Chlamydosaurus kingii*)

> 44 claims from the Frilled Lizard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Frilled Lizard](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/frilled-lizard/)

## Chlamydosaurus kingii (Frilled Lizard). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chlamydosaurus_kingii/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| known for the cape of skin that lies over its shoulders until something threatens it | The frill lies like a cape over its shoulders until erected. |
| Cornered, it usually turns to face its attacker and opens its pink or yellow mouth, and the frill rises around its neck | If the lizard is cornered, it usually turns to face its aggressor and enacts the defense mechanism for which frilled lizards are most famous. The lizard erects the frill by opening its brightly colored pink or yellow mouth. |
| measuring almost 12 inches (about 30 cm) across when fully raised | which when fully erected may measure almost 12 inches across (note: about 30 cm converted from the source's 12 inches) |
| of 290 millimeters and weigh at least 870 grams; females are much smaller, at 235 millimeters and 400 grams | adult males reaching a snout vent length (SVL) of 290 mm, and a mass of at least 870 g. Females are much smaller, reaching a SVL of 235 mm and a mass of 400g (note: the parenthetical after 'snout-to-vent length' defines the measurement, not a source claim) |
| Its average length is 85 centimeters (33 inches) | It is a large lizard, averaging 85 cm (33 inches) in length. |
| It lives in grassy woodland and dry forest across northern Australia and southern New Guinea | The frilled lizard is found across northern Australia and southern New Guinea ... The frilled lizard lives in the subhumid to semi-arid grassy woodlands and dry sclerophyll forests. |
| spending 90 percent of its time in trees | Frilled lizards are arboreal, spending 90% of their time in trees. |
| It is well camouflaged there, and is usually noticed only after rain or when it comes down to feed | Due to its excellent camouflage, it is usually observed only when it descends to the ground after a rainfall or to search for food. |
| has been known to take small mammals and pieces of meat | have been known to eat small mammals and pieces of meat |
| If the bluff fails, the lizard usually runs up the nearest tree | If the "bluffing" doesn't work, the lizard usually runs up the nearest tree |
| it is well known for running on its hind legs alone | The species is well known for its bipedal locomotion when running. |
| Mostly small invertebrates, with harvester termites (Drepanotermes) a major part; known to take small mammals and pieces of meat | They are insectivores and most commonly eat small invertebrates, but have been known to eat small mammals and pieces of meat (note: stats.diet; the Drepanotermes clause is diet-1996's 'Harvester termites from the genus Drepanotermes constitute a major component of the diet') |
| Usually, but not always. Animal Diversity Web says a disturbed frilled lizard usually dashes to the nearest tree, but it may instead hide beneath low vegetation or freeze, resting absolutely motionless | When disturbed, this bipedal lizard usually dashes to the nearest tree, but as an alternative, it may hide beneath low vegetation or go into a "freeze" mode. This predator response of resting absolutely motionless |
| The frill comes out when it is cornered, sometimes with hissing, standing up on its hind legs, and leaping at or chasing the predator | If the lizard is cornered, it usually turns to face its aggressor ... The lizard erects the frill by opening its brightly colored pink or yellow mouth. This sudden apparent increase in size and bright mouth color is sometimes accompanied by hissing, standing up on its hind legs, and leaping at or chasing the predator. |
| when the bluff fails it bolts on its hind legs alone | The species is well known for its bipedal locomotion when running. (note: vibe.reason, task #807) |

## Lizard. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/lizard

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Flaring the frill makes the lizard look much bigger than it really is, and a predator may decide to look for smaller prey | The Australian frilled lizard has a “frill” of loose skin around its neck that can stick out when the lizard is frightened. This makes the lizard look much bigger than it really is, and a predator may decide to look for smaller prey. |
| Australian dragon lizard that flares a bone-and-cartilage neck frill to startle predators, and if the bluff fails, runs off on its hind legs | The Australian frilled lizard has a “frill” of loose skin around its neck that can stick out when the lizard is frightened. This makes the lizard look much bigger than it really is, and a predator may decide to look for smaller prey. If that doesn’t work, the lizard runs away on its hind feet. (note: tagline; 'dragon lizard' from ADW ('one of Australia's most distinctive and familiar dragon lizards'), 'bone-and-cartilage' from elastic-2019 (CBI bones and Grey's cartilages)) |

## AnAge entry for Chlamydosaurus kingii. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Chlamydosaurus_kingii

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The longest-lived frilled lizard in the AnAge ageing database reached 9.9 years, in captivity | Maximum longevity 9.9 years (captivity) |

## Griffiths & Christian (1996). Diet and habitat use of frillneck lizards in a seasonal tropical environment. Oecologia.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00334405

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A two-year study of a wild population in Kakadu National Park found harvester termites of the genus Drepanotermes were a major part of its diet | A population of frillneck lizards, Chlamydosaurus kingii, was monitored by mark-recapture and telemetry over a 2 year period in Kakadu National Park ... Harvester termites from the genus Drepanotermes constitute a major component of the diet |
| which the study calls unusual for a sedentary forager | the prevalence of termites in the diet of sedentary foragers in a tropical environment is unusual (note: the gloss 'one that waits for food rather than roaming after it' defines the term, not a source claim) |
| It eats a diverse range of other invertebrates too | Frillneck lizards feed on a diverse range of invertebrates in both seasons |
| Growth is restricted to the wet season, when food is plentiful, and is minimal in the dry season, when food is scarce | Growth in C. kingii was restricted to the wet season, when food availability was high, and growth was minimal in the dry season when food availability was low. |
| A wild population followed for two years in Kakadu National Park fed on a diverse range of invertebrates in both the wet and the dry season, even though the dry season had far less food | A population of frillneck lizards, Chlamydosaurus kingii, was monitored by mark-recapture and telemetry over a 2 year period in Kakadu National Park ... Frillneck lizards feed on a diverse range of invertebrates in both seasons, even though there is a substantial reduction in food avail-ability in the dry season. (note: 'two years' is the source's '2 year period') |
| Radio-tracked lizards picked significantly larger kinds of tree in the dry season | Telemetered lizards selected a significantly different distribution of tree species than was randomly available, and they selected significantly larger tree species during the dry season. |
| Adult males kept their body condition fairly steady all year, while females varied considerably, which the researchers put down to the sexes' different roles in breeding | Adult male body condition remained relatively stable throughout the year, but females experienced considerable variation. These differences are attributed to different reproductive roles of the sexes. |

## Montandon, Fofonjka & Milinkovitch (2019). Elastic instability during branchial ectoderm development causes folding of the Chlamydosaurus erectile frill. eLife.

https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.44455

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Two of its bones support the lower sides of the frill, and a pair of cartilages holds the upper sides | the ventral sides of the ruff are supported by the two ceratobranchial I bones (CBI) of the hyoid apparatus ... and the dorsal sides are held by the so-called ‘Grey’s cartilages’ (note: 'Two of its bones' is the quote's 'two ceratobranchial I bones (CBI) of the hyoid apparatus'; ventral/dorsal rendered as lower/upper) |
| The frill goes up when these move together, and it needs the mouth open | Erection of the frill is caused by the coordinated movements of the CBI bones and Grey’s cartilages and requires the opening of the mouth. |
| Raises a neck frill held up by hyoid bones and cartilages, with its mouth open, in a startle display; if that fails it usually runs for a tree on its hind legs | Erection of the frill is caused by the coordinated movements of the CBI bones and Grey’s cartilages and requires the opening of the mouth. (note: stats.superpower; startle display from uncovering-2019 (conforms to deimatic display theory); the run from ADW ('If the "bluffing" doesn't work, the lizard usually runs up the nearest tree'; 'well known for its bipedal locomotion when running')) |
| Researchers showed that the embryo's neck fold enlarges and wrinkles, forming three ridges on each lobe of the frill | We also show that the Chlamydosaurus embryonic neck fold dramatically enlarges and its anterior surface wrinkles, establishing three convex ridges on each lobe of the frill. |
| It starts in the embryo, before the lizard hatches | the transition from two to three ridges observed during embryonic development of the dragon’s frill (note: hatching (not live birth) from ADW: 'This species is oviparous.') |
| They suggest the ridges do not come from extra growth where each ridge sits: the skin grows evenly, but because it is attached to the tissue around it, it buckles into folds | We suggest that this robust folding pattern is not due to localised increased growth at the positions of the ridges, but emerges from an elastic instability during homogeneous growth of the frill skin frustrated by its attachment to adjacent tissues |
| Their physical models and 3D computer simulations reproduced the switch from two ridges to three seen in real embryos | Our physical analog experiments and 3D computational simulations, using realistic embryonic tissue growth, thickness and stiffness values, recapitulate the transition from two to three ridges observed during embryonic development of the dragon’s frill. |

## Perez-Martinez, Riley & Whiting (2019). Uncovering the function of an enigmatic display: antipredator behaviour in the iconic Australian frillneck lizard. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blz176

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Researchers tested the display against a model bird of prey and found it fits deimatic display theory | We used behavioural assays with a model avian predator to demonstrate that their display conforms to deimatic display theory. |
| A deimatic display startles a predator for a moment, resulting in a pause or retreat | some animals engage in a deimatic display to startle the predator momentarily, resulting in a pause or retreat |
| The frill reveals patches of white and red-orange skin plus a yellow mouth lining, and to a bird of prey's eyes the lizard switches from camouflaged to conspicuous | the display revealed three colour patches (white and red–orange patches on the frill; yellow mouth palate) that facilitate a transition from a cryptic to a conspicuous state as perceived by a raptor visual system |
| The display is performed with movements that amplify its effect | the display was performed with movements that amplified its effect |
| The frill is larger in males than females, hinting it might double as a signal in contests between rival males too | The frill area was larger in males than in females, which suggests that the frill might also be co-opted for male–male contests. |
| The frilled lizard flares its frill with movements that amplify the startle | the display was performed with movements that amplified its effect (note: vibe.reason, task #807) |

## Ujvari, Dowton & Madsen (2007). Mitochondrial DNA recombination in a free-ranging Australian lizard. Biology Letters.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0587

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mitochondrial DNA is normally inherited from the mother only, with no mixing between the two parents' copies | The frequent use of mtDNA in such analyses derives from the apparent simplicity of its inheritance: maternal and lacking bi-parental recombination. |
| By sequencing the frilled lizard's entire mitochondrial genome, 16,761 base pairs, researchers found evidence of recombination (mixing) in a hybrid zone, where two mitochondrial lineages meet | By sequencing the entire mitochondrial genome (16 761 bp), we present evidence for mitochondrial recombination in the hybrid zone of two mitochondrial haplotypes (note: 16,761 with a comma, from the source's '16 761 bp' (space as thousands separator)) |
| In hybrid zones, the father's mitochondria can leak through | However, in hybrid zones, the reproductive barriers are often not completely developed, resulting in the breakdown of male mitochondrial elimination mechanisms, leading to leakage of paternal mitochondria |
| The authors knew of no documented example of this in any wild land vertebrate population before | we know of no documented example of recombination of mtDNA in any terrestrial wild vertebrate population |

## Ujvari, Dowton & Madsen (2008). Population genetic structure, gene flow and sex-biased dispersal in frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii). Molecular Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.03849.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| tags: savanna | a homogenous savannah woodland in tropical Australia (note: task #807; with Griffiths & Christian 1996's wet and dry seasons ('a substantial reduction in food availability in the dry season')) |

## O'Shea et al. (2017). Chlamydosaurus kingii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T170384A21644690.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t170384a21644690.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List rates the frilled lizard Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |