Moluccan sailing lizard
| Moluccan sailing lizard | ||||||||||||
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Moluccan sail lizard ( Hydrosaurus weberi ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hydrosaurus weberi | ||||||||||||
| Barbour , 1911 |
The Moluccan sailing lizard ( Hydrosaurus weberi ), also called Weber's sailing lizard, belongs to the genus of the sailing lizard ( Hydrosaurus ) within the agam family (Agamidae ).
description
With a length of up to 120 cm, the Moluccan sail lizard is the largest representative of the agamas . Males reach an average length of 110 to 120 cm, females about 90 cm. The head-torso length is 38 cm in the male and around 30 cm in the female. The basic color is gray-brown to olive-green and is interspersed with light brown to beige-colored patterns. Males are clearly darker and more intense in color than females on the limbs and head area . The so-called spiked comb , which is about 1 cm high and is more pronounced in the male, stretches from the neck to the base of the tail . The distinctive and eponymous feature, however, is the large skin sail on the tail that extends over about half of the tail. In the male it reaches a height of about 7 cm. In young animals, the spiky comb does not form until they are 2 years old. The skin sail also unfolds in full splendor from the age of 2. In freedom, these sailing lizards live in small groups, which usually include a male and several females and young animals. The animals reach an age of around 10 years.
distribution
The Moluccan sailing lizard is found mainly on the Indonesian archipelago of the Moluccas ( Halmahera , Ternate and the Sula Islands ) and on Sulawesi . The lizards live in the immediate vicinity of water. Their habitat includes dense bank planting, most of which consists of branches.
food
Moluccan lizards feed mainly on fish , crustaceans , insects and their larvae, as well as other molluscs . Your diet is enhanced by ripe fruits and other plant components such as flowers and leaves .
Reproduction
The Moluccan sailing lizard reaches sexual maturity at around 2 years of age. The main mating season extends from February to April. However, pairings were also found outside of this time. During courtship , the male approaches the female with nods of the head and other atypical body movements. When a female is ready to mate, the male mounts on the female, bites her neck and the act of mating occurs. The gestation is 10 to 11 weeks. The female lays an average of 15 eggs in a hollow. The eggs have an initial size of 3 to 4 cm and are oval in shape. After an incubation period of around 90 days, the young lizards hatch, which are 16 to 20 cm at birth.
