Acanthosaura
Encyclopedia
Acanthosaura is a genus
of lizard
s commonly known as mountain horned dragons, or pricklenape agamas. They are so named because of a row of dorsal spines which run down the back of their neck. They are arboreal lizards that are found in Southeast Asia
. They are medium-sized, ranging from about 7½ inches up to 15 inches in length, depending on species and individual. They tend to prefer higher elevation areas that are dense with vegetation.
, consuming only live food. Common feeders in captivity include crickets, earthworms, silkworms, mealworms, moths, roaches, wax worms, andgrasshoppers. Mountain Horned Dragons require a variety in diet and will often refuse food when offered in excessive redundancy.
Typical Acanthosaura feeding behavior is a sit-and-wait style. They will perch 1 to 2 meters off the ground until they spot their prey, which is often down on the ground. It isn't uncommon to see a spectacular display of aerobatics from Acanthosaura species when hunting food. Mountain Horned Dragons will eat and hunt fish, but most won't submerge their heads to catch a meal.
about 4 months after mating. They may lay up to 4 clutches total per year, separated by a month or two.
. While not considered to be difficult to breed in captivity, most specimens available are wild caught.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s commonly known as mountain horned dragons, or pricklenape agamas. They are so named because of a row of dorsal spines which run down the back of their neck. They are arboreal lizards that are found in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. They are medium-sized, ranging from about 7½ inches up to 15 inches in length, depending on species and individual. They tend to prefer higher elevation areas that are dense with vegetation.
Diet
Mountain horned dragons are insectivorousInsectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, consuming only live food. Common feeders in captivity include crickets, earthworms, silkworms, mealworms, moths, roaches, wax worms, andgrasshoppers. Mountain Horned Dragons require a variety in diet and will often refuse food when offered in excessive redundancy.
Typical Acanthosaura feeding behavior is a sit-and-wait style. They will perch 1 to 2 meters off the ground until they spot their prey, which is often down on the ground. It isn't uncommon to see a spectacular display of aerobatics from Acanthosaura species when hunting food. Mountain Horned Dragons will eat and hunt fish, but most won't submerge their heads to catch a meal.
Reproduction
Females lay their first clutch of eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
about 4 months after mating. They may lay up to 4 clutches total per year, separated by a month or two.
In captivity
Mountain horned dragons are popular pets, and readily available in the exotic pet trade. A. capra is considered the hardiest and most easily-kept species of the genus, and is the most common species found for sale in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While not considered to be difficult to breed in captivity, most specimens available are wild caught.
Species
- Acanthosaura armata, Armored Pricklenape (GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1827) - ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Burma, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia and IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. - Acanthosaura bintangensis Wood Jr., Grismer, Lee Grismer, Ahmad, Onn & Bauer, 2009 - PerakPerakPerak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Peninsular MalaysiaPeninsular MalaysiaPeninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra... - Acanthosaura capra, Green Pricklenape (GüntherAlbert C. L. G. GüntherAlbert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther , was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist....
, 1861) - CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. - Acanthosaura cardamomensis Wood Jr., Grismer, Lee Grismer, Neang, Chav & Holden, 2010 - eastern ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and western CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. - Acanthosaura coronata Günther, 1861 - VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
- Acanthosaura crucigera, Boulenger's Pricklenape (BoulengerGeorge Albert BoulengerGeorge Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:...
, 1885) - Burma, Thailand, C Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. - Acanthosaura lepidogaster, Brown Pricklenape (CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1829) - Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, and China. - Acanthosaura nataliae Orlov, Nguyen & Nguyen, 2006 - VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
- Acanthosaura titiwangsaensis Wood Jr., Grismer, Lee Grismer, Ahmad, Onn & Bauer, 2009 - Fraser's HillFraser's HillFraser's Hill is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Ridge in the state of Pahang in Malaysia.- History :...
and Cameron HighlandsCameron HighlandsThe Cameron Highlands is one of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations. It covers an area of .To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with Perak....
, PahangPahangPahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...
, Peninsular MalaysiaPeninsular MalaysiaPeninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...