Chelosania
Genus of lizards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chelosania is a genus of agamid lizards that contains a single species, Chelosania brunnea.[2] These are commonly known as the chameleon dragon.[1][2][3][4] They live in the northern parts of West Australia, the Northern Territory, and northwestern Queensland.[1][3]
| Chelosania | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | Chelosania Gray, 1845 |
| Species: | C. brunnea |
| Binomial name | |
| Chelosania brunnea Gray, 1845 | |
Chelosania has short limbs with a laterally compressed body, and small eye apertures and large ear openings.[5] They have an average snout to vent length of 11.8 cm,[4] and average total length of 30 cm.[3]
Chelosania is usually seen on the ground or in low level vegetation, and is slow moving.[3] Females lay eggs in burrows between July and August, with up to 8 eggs recorded. Chelosania eats ants, and has been recorded eating green ants.[5]
Genetic analysis shows that Chelosania, along with the thorny devil, is a significantly older species than more recent desert agamids.[5]
