Draco (genus)

***Draco*** is a genus of agamid lizards that are sometimes called **flying dragons**, **flying lizards**, **gliding dragons**, **gliding lizards** or simply **dragons**. The ribs and their connecting membrane can be extended to create a kind of wing (a patagium) The hindlimbs are flattened and wing-like in cross-section, and a small set of flaps on the neck serve as a horizontal stabilizers.

They live in forests, and eat insects. They cannot fly, but often get lift as they glide. Glides as long as 60 m have been recorded, over which the animal loses only 10 m in height. They are quite small. One species is only about 20 cm long.

The only time a flying lizard comes to the ground is when a female is ready to lay her eggs. She descends the tree she is on and makes a nest hole by forcing her head into the soil. She then lays 2–5 eggs before filling the hole. She guards the eggs for approximately 24 hours, but then leaves and has nothing more to do with her offspring.

## Species

There are about 42 species.

- _Draco abbreviatus_ Hardwicke & Gray, 1827 – Singapore flying dragon
- _Draco beccarii_ W. Peters & Doria, 1878
- _Draco biaro_ Lazell, 1987 – Lazell's flying dragon
- _Draco bimaculatus_ Günther, 1864 – two-spotted flying lizard
- _Draco blanfordii_ Boulenger, 1885 – Blanford's flying dragon, Blanford’s flying lizard, Blanford's gliding lizard
- _Draco boschmai_ Hennig, 1936
- _Draco caerulhians_ Lazell, 1992
- _Draco cornutus_ Günther, 1864
- _Draco cristatellus_ Günther, 1872 – crested flying dragon
- _Draco cyanopterus_ W. Peters, 1867
- _Draco dussumieri_ A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837 – Indian flying lizard, Western Ghats flying lizard, southern flying lizard
- _Draco fimbriatus_ Kuhl, 1820 – fringed flying dragon, crested gliding lizard
- _Draco formosus_ Boulenger, 1900 – dusky gliding lizard
- _Draco guentheri_ Boulenger, 1885 – Günther's flying lizard, Guenther's flying lizard
- _Draco haematopogon_ Gray, 1831 – red-bearded flying dragon, yellow-bearded gliding lizard
- _Draco indochinensis_ M.A. Smith, 1928 – Indochinese flying lizard, Indochinese gliding lizard
- _Draco iskandari_ McGuire et al., 2007
- _Draco jareckii_ Lazell, 1992
- _Draco lineatus_ Daudin, 1802 – lined flying dragon
- _Draco maculatus_ (Gray, 1845) – spotted flying dragon
- _Draco maximus_ Boulenger, 1893 – great flying dragon, giant gliding lizard
- _Draco melanopogon_ Boulenger, 1887 – black-bearded gliding lizard, black-barbed flying dragon
- _Draco mindanensis_ Stejneger, 1908 – Mindanao flying dragon, Mindanao flying lizard
- _Draco modiglianii_ Vinciguerra, 1892 – lined flying dragon
- _Draco norvillii_ Alcock, 1895 – Norvill's flying lizard
- _Draco obscurus_ Boulenger, 1887 – dusky gliding lizard
- _Draco ornatus_ (Gray, 1845) – white-spotted flying lizard
- _Draco palawanensis_ McGuire & Alcala, 2000
- _Draco punctatus_ Boulenger, 1900 – punctate flying dragon
- _Draco quadrasi_ Boettger, 1893 – Quadras's flying lizard
- _Draco quinquefasciatus_ Hardwicke & Gray, 1827 – five-lined flying dragon, five-banded gliding lizard
- _Draco reticulatus_ Günther, 1864
- _Draco rhytisma_ Musters, 1983
- _Draco spilonotus_ Günther, 1872 – Sulawesi lined gliding lizard
- _Draco spilopterus_ Wiegmann, 1834 – Philippine flying dragon
- _Draco sumatranus_ Schlegel, 1844 – common gliding lizard
- _Draco supriatnai_ McGuire et al., 2007
- _Draco taeniopterus_ Günther, 1861 – Thai flying dragon, barred flying dragon, barred gliding lizard
- _Draco timoriensis_ Kuhl, 1820 – Timor flying dragon
- _Draco volans_ Linnaeus, 1758 – common flying dragon
- _Draco walkeri_ Boulenger, 1891