Description
A greyish dragon lizard with a prominent pair of white stripes down the back, and a white strip from snout to neck enclosing the lips. Breeding males develop blackish heads and forebody. Distinguished from the similar Gilbert's Dragon Lophognathus gilberti by subtle differences in scale patterns along the top of the body (ridges run longways down the body compared to angular).
This species is common and abundant in suburbia. It is ground-dwelling and arboreal, and sleeps perched in vegetation. It feeds invertebrates. Its habit of limb-waving when disturbed has given it the nickname 'Ta Ta lizard'. During the late dry season, it lowers its metabolic rate and becomes inactive, but in suburbia it is active year-round, probably due to a constant supply of prey provided by watered gardens. Recent publications list this species as Gowidon temporalis. Tends to occur more coastally than Gilbert's Dragon.
Author credit: Lindley McKay
Habitat
Tropical woodland
Food
Carnivore
Range
Northern Australia
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Species Description is from Museums Field Guide, Atlas of Living Australia at website at https://lists.ala.org.au Licensed under Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Reptilia | | Order: | Squamata (Sauria) | | Family: | Agamidae | | Genus: | Lophognathus | | Species: | temporalis | | Common Name: | Northern Water Dragon |
Relatives in same Genus
Gilbert's Dragon (L. gilberti)
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