''Draco volans'', also commonly known as the common flying dragon, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Agamidae Agamidae is a family containing 582 species in 64 genera of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few locations in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically ...

. www.reptile-database.org. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. Like other members of genus ''

Draco DRACO (double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizer) is a group of experimental antiviral drugs formerly under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In cell culture, DRACO was reported to have broad-spectrum efficacy aga ...

'', this species has the ability to glide using winglike lateral extensions of skin called

patagia The patagium (: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flying. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, theropod dinosaurs (includin ...

. The species is exclusively

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

Description

''D. volans'' grows to a length of up to , including the tail. The body is tan in colour with dark flecks. The patagium of the male is tan to bright orange with dark banding. The female's patagium has irregular markings rather than banding.

Habitat

''D. volans'' can be found in tropical rainforests in

. It is commonly found in early

second growth forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused disturbances, such as timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or equivalently disruptive natura ...

s, in open secondary forest, and on forest edges.

Locomotion

The "wings" of ''D. volans'' are supported by its ribs, which form the skeleton of the patagia. However, its elongated ribs are superadded to aid forming its "wings", and not to assist respiration. This species is considered a passive glider, or parachutist. However, previous studies have also shown that it can be considered a gliding animal. This means that it does not have to deal with the aerodynamic and metabolic imperatives required for active flight.

Behaviour

''D. volans'' is diurnal, and is "commonly seen running along branches, displaying, and gliding".

Courtship

The colouration of the patagia and the

dewlap A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin or similar flesh that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. More loosely, it can be various similar structures in the neck area, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibula ...

play key roles in the courtship of ''D. volans'', with the males stretching out and displaying their patagia and dewlaps to get the attention of the females.

Diet

''Draco volans'' feeds mainly on ants, and possibly other insects like termites. A study was conducted in Eastern

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, Philippines, which found that the species exclusively feeds on ants. It hunts by waiting near a tree trunk until ants come out and crawl close to its

visual field The visual field is "that portion of space in which objects are visible at the same moment during steady fixation of the gaze in one direction"; in ophthalmology and neurology the emphasis is mostly on the structure inside the visual field and it i ...

; it grabs its prey without moving itself.

Reproduction

The female common flying dragon digs a hole in the soil to serve as a nest, and lays eggs in it.