Sailfin lizard

Hydrosaurus amboinensis

SUBFAMILY

Agaminae

TAXONOMY

Hydrosaurus amboinensis Schlosser, 1768.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Soa soa.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

These are large, semiaquatic lizards with a pronounced crest on the neck and an enlarged sailfin down the back to the base of the tail. Both sexes have a black and dark green reticulated pattern.

DISTRIBUTION

The sailfin lizard occurs in Southeast Asian islands (Celebes, Moluccas, and New Guinea). Another population occurs in the Philippines.

HABITAT

This species is found in trees in the vicinity of water.

BEHAVIOR

These lizards are expert swimmers and take refuge in the water. Using their fringed toes, juveniles can run across the surface of water. They spend most of their time in branches overhanging water.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

These herbivorous lizards harbor intestinal endosymbiotic microbes that produce cellulases that aid in digestion of plant foods.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Crests and sailfins of males are larger than those of females and may be used in courtship displays or in fighting with other males. Females lay three to nine eggs. Hatchlings are about 8 in (20 cm) long, about two-thirds of which is tail.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by the IUCN. Owing to habitat loss and hunting, however, these lizards are now uncommon and could be threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

These large lizards are considered a delicacy.

Sailfin lizard
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Family: Agamidae Genus: Hydrosaurus Species: H. pustulatus
Binomial name
Hydrosaurus pustulatus

The Sailfin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) is an oviparous lizard living only in the Philippines. It is classed by the IUCN as vulnerable.

The Sailfin lizard is an excellent swimmer and has flattened toes that enable it to run across water. It is omnivorous, feeding on fruit, leaves, flowers, insects, and small animals. It lives near rivers in the tropical forests of the Philippines. Males have a larger crest on their back than the females.

The Philippine Sailfin Lizard lives mainly beside water e.g. rivers, riverbanks, ricefields etc. as these lizards love to swim. The adults may reach up to a meter in length. These lizards are commonly found in the Philippine provinces particularly, Leyte, Negros, Panay Islands, Samar and other nearby provinces. They are hunted for food as they taste like chicken.

Some are kept and bred as pets or sold in the petshops. Sailfins are more docile than Monitors which makes them easier to handle but they are difficult to find in the wild. They are sold at high prices (even up to 10,000 pesos or higher) in pet shops. Breeding Sailfins in captivity needs an ample space for a pair of Sailfins. The enclosure needs a water basin for the Sailfins to swim, plants and food. A 5 foot by 5 foot enclosure is enough. They eat fruits, insects, frogs, even small animals like rodents and vegetables/plants.

Philippines sailfin lizard Hydrosaurus pustulatus

References

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). Hydrosaurus pustulatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

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