The Draco (Flying Lizard) of India Explained

The Draco flying lizard is a small tree-dwelling lizard of the genus Draco that glides between trees on wing-like flaps of skin, and in the Western Ghats of India the species is Draco dussumieri, often called the southern flying lizard or Indian flying lizard. It does not truly fly; instead, it launches from a trunk, spreads a membrane stretched over elongated ribs and glides in a controlled way to another tree.

The Draco flying lizard feeds largely on ants and other small insects, lives mostly high on tree trunks and is a harmless, shy animal. This explainer covers how its gliding membrane works, the throat-flap display, its habits and range, and what is known about its conservation in India.

Key Takeaways

• The Draco flying lizard (Draco dussumieri) is a small agamid lizard of the Western Ghats that glides rather than flies.
• The Draco flying lizard glides using a patagium, a thin skin membrane held out by five or six elongated ribs that swing outward like the struts of a folding fan.
• Male Draco flying lizards display a coloured throat flap, called a gular flap or dewlap, to signal to rivals and females.
• The Draco flying lizard spends most of its life on tree trunks and feeds mainly on ants, descending to the ground only for egg-laying.
• The Draco flying lizard is harmless to people and is not a true flyer, since it cannot gain height or flap its membranes.
• The main threats to the Draco flying lizard are forest clearance, fragmentation and loss of trees in plantation and farmland landscapes in the Western Ghats.

What Is the Draco Flying Lizard?

The Draco flying lizard is a small, slender arboreal lizard in the family Agamidae whose defining feature is a pair of winglike membranes along its flanks. The genus Draco contains dozens of species spread mainly across South and Southeast Asia, and the species found in the Western Ghats of India is Draco dussumieri, named after the French naturalist and merchant Jean-Jacques Dussumier.

At rest, the Draco flying lizard looks like a drab, bark-coloured lizard clinging to a trunk, with a long thin tail and small head. Its brown and grey tones, mottled with darker patterns, blend well with lichen and bark. The wing flaps are folded flat against the body and become visible only when the lizard extends them.

Because it looks so ordinary when still, many people who live in Western Ghats villages and plantations have seen the animal gliding without ever knowing what it is. The common names “flying lizard” and “flying dragon” are descriptive, but they exaggerate its powers, since the animal can only glide downward from a height.

How Does the Draco Flying Lizard Glide?

The Draco flying lizard glides by launching itself from a tree, extending its patagium into two flat wings and gliding downward to another trunk in a smooth arc. The wings catch air and slow the descent, while the tail and the angle of the body steer the animal toward its landing spot.

A typical glide follows a sequence:

• Launch: the lizard leaps from a trunk or branch, usually from a height, while spreading its ribs.
• Glide: the membranes act like a pair of airfoils, and the lizard holds the limbs and body so that the wings stay spread.
• Steering: the long tail works as a rudder and stabiliser, and small body adjustments change direction.
• Landing: the lizard flares upward just before contact and grips the trunk with its claws, usually facing head-up.

Glide distances depend on launch height and species. Observers generally report glides of several metres for the Western Ghats species, while some Draco species elsewhere have been reported to glide considerably farther. The animal loses height as it glides, so it cannot climb through the air or flap the wings.

What Is the Patagium and How Is It Built?

The patagium of the Draco flying lizard is a thin, flexible fold of skin stretched across five or six greatly elongated ribs on each side of the body. Normally the ribs are folded back against the body like a closed fan, and when the lizard prepares to glide, special muscles swing them outward, opening the skin into a nearly round wing.

This design is unusual among vertebrates. Birds, bats and pterosaurs use limbs as wing frames, whereas the Draco flying lizard uses ribs, which means that its limbs are free to grip the tree and steer. The skin of the patagium is usually patterned with bands or spots, and the pattern may be brighter on the underside, where it can be seen by other lizards.

The membrane is delicate and can be damaged by thorns or rough bark, so the lizard folds it neatly against the body most of the time. It also helps the animal to camouflage, as the folded wings blend into the sides and look like bark.

What Is the Gular Flap and Why Do Males Display It?

The gular flap of the Draco flying lizard is a small, tongue-like or triangular flap of skin that hangs under the throat and is extended by males as a visual signal. In Draco dussumieri the male’s throat flap is typically yellowish, while the female’s flap is smaller and differently coloured, and the display is used mainly in territorial and courtship contexts.

A male may bob his head, flick the flap out and show the colours of the patagium to rivals and to females. This behaviour helps males to defend a tree or a small group of trees, which serve as territories. Fights are usually brief and consist of displays and chases around a trunk.

The flap is thus a communication tool, not a part of the gliding system. Scientists describe such structures as sexually selected signals, because they influence mating success and territorial control.

What Does the Draco Flying Lizard Eat?

The Draco flying lizard eats mainly ants and, to a lesser extent, termites and other small insects, which it picks off tree trunks and branches. Studies of Draco species have shown that ants form a large share of the diet, and the lizard is often seen waiting beside an ant trail on a trunk and snapping up workers one by one.

Because the lizard feeds on small insects, it acts as a minor controller of insect numbers in the forest canopy and plantation trees. It is an ambush and sit-and-wait predator that stays still for long periods, scanning the bark for movement. It drinks by licking dew or rain from leaves and bark, since it seldom descends to ground-level water.

In turn, the Draco flying lizard is prey for birds, snakes, squirrels and other predators. Its cryptic colouring and tendency to freeze against bark are its main defence, while a sudden glide serves as an escape route.

Where Does the Draco Flying Lizard Live in India?

The Draco flying lizard lives chiefly in the Western Ghats and adjoining low hills and coastal plantations of south and west India, including parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It is associated with moist and semi-evergreen forests, forest edges and tree-rich plantations of coconut, areca nut, rubber, cashew and mixed orchards.

Other Draco species occur elsewhere in India. The table below summarises the main regional picture, and species boundaries and names may be updated as taxonomists study them further.

The Draco flying lizard seems to need tall trees spaced close enough for gliding. A forest broken into small isolated patches therefore makes movement harder and reduces the number of suitable territories.

How Does the Draco Flying Lizard Breed?

The Draco flying lizard breeds seasonally, and the female leaves the trees to lay a small clutch of eggs in a hole in the soil. Reported clutch sizes are small, often only a few eggs, and the female digs the nest in loose ground, deposits the eggs, fills the hole and returns to the trees, sometimes guarding the site briefly.

The trip to the ground is the most dangerous time in the life of a female, because she is exposed to ground predators, dogs and human activity. After incubation, the hatchlings emerge and climb into trees, where they begin catching tiny insects. Details such as the exact breeding season and incubation time vary with local climate and are not equally documented across the range.

Males defend territories through display, and a single male may share a patch of trees with several females. The territorial system encourages stable local groups, but also makes populations vulnerable if trees are felled.

Is the Draco Flying Lizard Dangerous or Poisonous?

No, the Draco flying lizard is neither poisonous nor dangerous to humans, and it will try to hide or glide away when approached. It has no venom, and its tiny mouth can do little harm even if it were to bite, which it rarely does.

Despite this, some people fear gliding lizards because of local folklore or because of their dragon-like appearance. A sudden glide from a tree can startle people, leading to mistaken beliefs that the animal “attacks”. In reality, the lizard is simply fleeing or moving to another tree.

The best way to watch the animal is to stand quietly at the base of a tree in a forest or plantation in the early morning or late afternoon, when the lizards warm themselves on the sunny side of trunks and males perform displays.

Is the Draco Flying Lizard Endangered?

The Draco flying lizard is not currently considered globally endangered, as the IUCN has assessed Draco dussumieri as Least Concern, though local populations may decline where forests are cleared. In India the species receives legal protection through the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and since schedule placements have been revised by amendments, the current official text should be checked for the exact schedule.

The main threats are:

• Deforestation and fragmentation: loss of tall trees reduces territories and breaks the glide corridors.
• Plantation conversion: clearing of mixed orchards for monocultures or buildings removes suitable trunks.
• Road building and traffic: animals that descend to lay eggs may be killed on tracks and roads.
• Pesticide use: chemicals can reduce the ant and insect prey base.
• Pet collection: occasional capture for private keeping, though gliding lizards do poorly in captivity.

Protecting large trees, wildlife corridors and shade-grown plantations helps the Draco flying lizard along with many other Western Ghats species. The Western Ghats is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the lizard is a small but charismatic part of its fauna.

How Does Gliding in Draco Compare With Other Gliders?

The Draco flying lizard glides with ribs-supported wings, which differs from the gliding methods used by flying squirrels, flying frogs and flying snakes. The comparison below shows how different groups achieve the same result in different ways.

Bottom Line

The Draco flying lizard is a small, harmless glider of the Western Ghats that uses rib-supported wings and a coloured throat flap to survive and communicate in the tree canopy. It is not globally endangered, but it depends on tall trees and connected forest, so protecting the Western Ghats and its tree-rich plantations is the best way to secure it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Draco flying lizard really fly?

No, the Draco flying lizard cannot truly fly; it glides. It launches from a tree, spreads its rib-supported membranes and descends to another trunk. It cannot flap the wings or gain height, which is why scientists call this gliding rather than flight.

How far can the Draco flying lizard glide?

The Draco flying lizard typically glides for several metres between trees, with the distance depending on launch height and species. Reports from other Draco species suggest that longer glides are possible. Exact distances for Draco dussumieri vary by observation.

What does the Draco flying lizard eat?

The Draco flying lizard eats mostly ants, with termites and other small insects as additional food. It often waits near ant trails on tree trunks. Its diet makes it a minor controller of insects in forests and plantations.

Where can you see the Draco flying lizard in India?

The Draco flying lizard can be seen in the Western Ghats and nearby plantations and forests of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It is easiest to find on sunny tree trunks in the morning. Local guides in forest areas and plantations often know good spots.

Is the Draco flying lizard venomous?

No, the Draco flying lizard is not venomous or harmful to people. It is a small, shy insect-eater that tries to hide or glide away. It poses no danger to humans or pets.

Is the Draco flying lizard protected by law?

Yes, the Draco flying lizard receives protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, so capturing or trading it is not allowed. Schedule placements have been revised through amendments, and the current official text should be checked for the exact schedule. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, but local populations depend on tree cover.

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