| a medium-sized Australian lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingi, having a large, cloaklike flap of skin on the neck that stiffens during courtship or threat displays, forming a wide ruff. |
| frilled lizard (frĭld) n. An Australian lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingi) having a broad contractile membrane extending from the neck and throat that can be extended like a ruff when the mouth is opened. |
frilled lizard
genus of the reptile family Agamidae, found in Australia and New Guinea and consisting of only one species, Chlamydosaurus kingii. The frilled lizard can run standing up on its hind legs with its forelegs and tail in the air. The scaly membrane around its neck is used as a large part of the lizard's defensive posture. Normally, the neck frill, often as wide as the lizard is long, lies like a cape over the shoulders. When the lizard is irritated or threatened, it can raise the frill perpendicular to its body, enabling it to surprise its enemies by suddenly displaying a head several times its normal size
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