Sailfin lizard
Encyclopedia
The Philippine Sailfin Lizard, Crested Lizard, Sail-fin Lizard, Sailfin Water Lizard, or Soa-soa Water Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) is an oviparous lizard living only in the Philippines
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The Philippine sailfin Lizard is an excellent swimmer and has flattened toes that enable it to run across water. It is omnivorous, feeding on fruit
, leaves, flowers, insect
s, and small animals . It lives near rivers in the tropical forests of the Philippines. Males have a larger crest on their back than the females. The males also show a violet color as they grow older. Females are less colorful.
The Philippine sailfin lizard lives mainly beside water, e.g., river
s, riverbanks, rice-fields, etc., as these lizards love to swim. The adults may reach up to a metre in length. Due to confusion with H. amboinensis, the exact distribution in the Philippines is uncertain, but northern populations are generally considered H. pustulatus and southern considered H. amboinensis.
by the IUCN. Their main threats are habitat loss, being hunted for food and collection for the pet trade.
has only been done in a few cases.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
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The Philippine sailfin Lizard is an excellent swimmer and has flattened toes that enable it to run across water. It is omnivorous, feeding on fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, leaves, flowers, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, and small animals . It lives near rivers in the tropical forests of the Philippines. Males have a larger crest on their back than the females. The males also show a violet color as they grow older. Females are less colorful.
The Philippine sailfin lizard lives mainly beside water, e.g., river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, riverbanks, rice-fields, etc., as these lizards love to swim. The adults may reach up to a metre in length. Due to confusion with H. amboinensis, the exact distribution in the Philippines is uncertain, but northern populations are generally considered H. pustulatus and southern considered H. amboinensis.
Conservation
Sailfin dragons have now been classified as VulnerableVulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by the IUCN. Their main threats are habitat loss, being hunted for food and collection for the pet trade.
Sailfin lizards in captivity
Philippine sailfin lizards were commonly available in the United States during the 1990s, but today they are now rare and expensive in the United States (costing about $900 for a captive bred juvenile). Breeding in captivityCaptivity (animal)
Animals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
has only been done in a few cases.