Asian Water Dragon

Size

Males can grow up to 90cm (3ft), and females 60cm (2ft), with a smaller head and lower crests. These lizards are known for their long tails, which account for a significant portion of their body length.

Habitat and Distribution

This species can be found throughout Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in forests and wetlands. It has been found throughout eastern Thailand from the Eastern Forest Complex south to the coast, but only in protected areas, as well as Southern China.

Age

10 – 15 years, but some have been known to live up to 20 years.

Diet

Asian Water Dragons are omnivores. Their diet consists mainly of insects with occasional small vertebrates, eggs, and snails, as well as vegetables and fruits. In Taiwan, they are also known to prey on native lizards, frogs, snakes, and mice.

Groups and Breeding

They are oviparous, with a clutch of 8 to 12 eggs buried in sandy riverbanks near the end of the dry winter. The eggs hatch two or three months later in the early part of the wet summer. Maturity is met within the first year of their lives.

Threats

The largest threat to the species is overharvesting for meat and the pet trade. The IUCN classes this species as Vulnerable, their numbers are also decreasing due to the decline and/or quality of their habitats from illegal logging and forests being turned into cropland. The IUCN states that, ‘the species has undergone an apparent decline of up 50% in 18 years’.

Interesting Facts

Their appearance changes as they grow! As hatchlings, the body is brownish-green while the belly takes on a white hue, but as they grow, they shed their skin multiple times and become very vibrant and can turn anywhere from dark green to mint.

In the centre of their eyes, you’ll see a small round scale, which is called their ‘Parietal Eye’. Often referred to as their third eye, this unique feature helps the lizard sense differences in lighting.