Boyd's forest dragon is a Wet Tropics endemic. It's not a rare species, but can be difficult to spot. The dragons are most often observed on tree trunks, usually between one and two metres off the ground. Apart from having fabulous licheny camouflage, they also tend to sidle around to the other side of the tree trunk to avoid being seen.
This is only the second one that I have encountered. The other was many years ago at Lake Eacham, when a BFD mistook me for a tree and ran up my leg. (That was only slightly more bizarre than the time I was pecked on the thumb by an Australasian grebe. Good times.)
The dragon put up with the camera for a while, relying on its camouflage, which would have been somewhat more effective against tree bark. Then it scuttled off into the forest, where I failed to get a photo of it in its natural surroundings. They really are hard to spot.
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* mangoes and pawpaws
** It's terribly House & Garden
12 comments:
House and Garden it ain't.
The "Forest Dragon" is interesting. At first I thought it had a very large eye (for its size). Close-up shows it has a liking for lots of eye make-up (perhaps it studies too many "teen- magazines" (not House and Garden.)
Interesting post.
Hope you stocked up on Mangoes for Christmas lunch. I did,
Happy Christmas and have a really good New Year.
Cheers
Denis
Your dragons are way cooler than our dragons!
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/gr_dragon.htm
Merry Christmas!
You have all the fun! (And apparently all the dragons... in the water and out of the water. No fair!)
But, 'tis the season, so I shall stop whining and wish you a day full of mangoes and paw paws. 'Tis only the morning of the Eve here... good thing, since I've still my own shopping to do.
That's a very interesting little dragon. Wonder why it felt comfortable on the 'door mat'? I like your grocery list! Hope you have a very happy holiday season.
Greetings and Good Wishes for your first Christmas in your new home
:D
Season's greetings, everyone!
Denis, the dragon does look as though it's overdone the eye-liner. Maybe it's a Goth?
Dave, not quite as speccy as our ones, but ya gotta love Arisaema.
Sherrie, nothing fills me with dread quite as much as Xmas shopping. So, good luck!
Mick, I have a vague idea that this dragon was a female that had just finished laying eggs nearby. Not that I have any evidence for this, you understand.
JJ, same to you! And congrats on the settlement :)
Boyds at da door. Boids in da trees.
You were buying fruit commonly free for the taking, perhaps asking, in Tableland TNQ? said Scrooge (the spirit of Xmas present).
It was so cheap it was almost free!
No one grows much fruit around here. Well, they grow it, but they rarely get around to harvesting it with all the feathered and furry frugivores!
Tony has a point there is something disturbingly unnatural about parting with cash for a mango in North Queensland at this time of year!Re the dragon ...very handsome!
I know! There ought to be a law against it! But I don't know anyone who grows mangoes here. Now I come to think of it, I haven't even seen mango trees around town. Plenty along the Mareeba road, but not here.
Wow! On your doorstep. I had to go on a night safari to spot them. Though we saw 4 of them that night, the guide kept repeating how lucky we were and how extraordinary is to see one :)
PS! Happy New Year! Ill keep following your blog, its always very interesting reading.
Four is a great haul!
It was pretty lucky having this one wander over. My house is very close to the trees, so that helps.
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