The tiny lizard that unfolds wings from its ribs and flies
This lizard hides a set of wings folded against its ribs — and unfolds them to glide between trees.
Which one is REALLY true about the Draco Lizard?
The short version
The Draco, or flying dragon, is a Southeast Asian lizard whose elongated ribs swing outward to stretch brightly colored wing-like flaps of skin, letting it glide over thirty feet between trees to escape predators and hunt.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Draco Lizard has several dramatically elongated ribs along each side that swing outward to stretch wing-like flaps of skin.
- ✓The Draco Lizard launches from a tree trunk and crosses over thirty feet of air without ever touching the ground.
- ✓The Draco Lizard folds its wings flat away when it lands, so it looks like an ordinary little lizard again.
- ✓The Draco Lizard flashes a bright throat flag at rivals to defend its patch of forest.
- ✓The Draco Lizard lives in the forests of Southeast Asia, gliding to escape and to chase insects.
You could line up about 6 of them along a 7-year-old!
The full story
This tiny lizard hides a set of wings folded against its ribs. Meet the Draco, also called the flying dragon, a lizard from the forests of Southeast Asia. Along each side of its body, several ribs are dramatically elongated, and it can swing them outward on demand to stretch out a pair of brightly colored, wing-like flaps of skin. With them, it launches from a tree trunk and glides through the air, steering between trees and crossing distances of over thirty feet without ever touching the ground. It uses this to escape predators, chase insects, and defend its patch of forest, flashing a bright throat flag at rivals. When it lands, the wings simply fold away, and it looks like an ordinary little lizard again. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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Draco Lizard gallery
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“The Draco Lizard has several dramatically elongated ribs along each side that swing outward to stretch wing-like flaps of skin.”
“The Draco Lizard navigates by the Milky Way, the only animal ever proven to steer by the stars.”
“The Draco Lizard launches from a tree trunk and crosses over thirty feet of air without ever touching the ground.”