CHLAMYDOSAURUS

also called Frilled Lizard, genus of the reptile family Agamidae, found in Australia and New Guinea and consisting of only one species, Chlamydosaurus kingii. This lizard averages 85 cm (33 inches) in length and spends most of its time in trees feeding on insects and small mammals. The animal is of interest because it can run standing up on its hind legs with its forelegs and tail in the air and because of the scaly membrane around its neck that is used in defensive posture. This neck frill, often as wide as the lizard is long, lies like a cape over the shoulders. When irritated, the frill becomes perpendicular to the body, enabling the lizard to surprise its enemies by suddenly displaying a head several times its normal size.