Frilled-Neck Lizard
Pops open an umbrella of skin around its head, then runs away on two legs like a tiny dinosaur
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The wacky thing
When startled, the frilled-neck lizard snaps open a huge ruff of skin around its neck, supported by long rods of cartilage connected to its jaw — instantly making its head look several times larger. If that doesn't work, it turns and sprints away on its hind legs only, tail up for balance, frill still often flared, looking exactly like a shrunken theropod dinosaur mid-chase scene.
Overview
Native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea, the frilled-neck lizard spends most of its life in trees, dropping to the ground to hunt insects and small prey. Its signature frill is normally folded flat against its neck and shoulders like a cape, invisible until it's needed for a threat display, a courtship display, or as a startle response to sudden danger.
Found in
Woodlands and open forest of northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
Things worth knowing
- 1
The frill can span up to 30cm across when fully deployed — nearly as wide as the lizard's entire body length.
- 2
Bipedal running is normally reserved for large, powerful dinosaurs and birds; the frilled-neck lizard is one of very few small reptiles that regularly does it, and can hit surprising sprint speeds this way.
- 3
The frill display is also used during mating season and territorial disputes between males, not just against predators.
- 4
Despite the dramatic display, frilled-neck lizards are harmless to humans — the frill and open-mouth hiss are pure bluff, meant to make a mid-sized lizard look too big and dangerous to bother with.
- 5
If the frill and bluff charge don't work, the lizard's backup plan is simply to run — sometimes straight up the nearest tree, still on two legs.