Fun Green-crested Lizard Facts For Kids

The green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella), belonging to phylum Chordata, order Squamata, suborder Iguania, and genus Bronchocela, is a species of agamid lizard that is endemic to Southeast Asia. This lizard has a light green body and the head is bluish in color. If they feel threatened, their body color can change from green to brown. Male lizards have an attractive neck crest and they have a very long tail which makes almost 70% of their body length. The green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella), primarily inhabits forests areas but can also be seen in gardens, agricultural lands, and parklands. You can find this crested lizard in countries like Thailand, west Malaysia, Singapore, south Borneo, the Philippines, Java, Sumatra, and Myanmar. In the country Singapore, the population of this crested lizard is declining due to competition from the changeable izard.

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What type of animal is a green-crested lizard?

The green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) is a type of reptile which prefers to live in habitats like dense, long grasses, forests, and parklands, and is commonly seen in the countries like Thailand, Singapore, south Borneo, the Philippines, Java, Sumatra, and Myanmar.

What class of animal does a green-crested lizard belong to?

This reptile belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the class Reptilia, the family Agamidae, and the suborder Iguania. The Agama cristatella has a total length of 21-22 in (53.3-55.8 cm) and their bodies turn to brown under conditions of stress. Their scientific name is Bronchocela cristatella. They are a species of agamid lizard that is endemic to Southeast Asia.

How many green-crested lizards are there in the world?

The exact population of this reptile is not known, but their distribution can be seen in the countries of west Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Borneo. Their natural habitat is continuously decreasing day by day as more trees are being cut down.

Where does a green-crested lizard live?

The green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) is a reptile that usually lives in trees and parklands. Their distribution can be seen in many ASEAN countries and other Indian Ocean countries. These places are where you can see them easily as their population is in abundance there. Thailand, Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), the Phillippines, Malaysia, and south Borneo are other countries where this lizard lives.

What is a green-crested lizard’s habitat?

The natural and preferred environment for these lizards is dense forests, parks, scrublands, rural areas, gardens, and even small bushes. They are most commonly seen in a range of Southeast Asia regions. They prefer a close availability of water.  After Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, south Borneo and Indonesia have become their new commonplace.

Who do green-crested lizards live with?

There is no concrete evidence about the social behavior of the Agama cristatella. Still, there have been times when people have seen them living with their families or even in small groups of three to five lizards. Reptiles are usually a not-so-social species and prefer to live alone.

How long does a green-crested lizard live?

The range of lifespan of the green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) is around three to five years. The geographic range of this species is from the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean like Thailand, West Malaysia, Indonesia to Borneo and the Philippines.

How do they reproduce?

The males who are around 19.6 in (50 cm) in length grasp the females with their hind limbs and they pin her down to the branch of the tree. The act of copulation lasts for about 25-30 seconds and during the process, the males usually change their color from dark brown-gray to pale green-brown. The females do not change the color of their bodies. After mating, they both separate and the males turn light green and blue.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the green-crested lizard is under the category of a Least Concern species. These reptiles come under the species of Agamid lizard.

What do green-crested lizards look like?

The green-crested ;izard (Bronchocela cristatella) is a lizard belonging to South Asia. They have a light green body and scales. Their long tail is one of the distinctive features of their type. The tail covers 70% of the total length of the body. They have a slender body and a crest on their nest. They primarily live in trees.

How cute are they?

This green lizard is not a cute animal. They are small and bright green but look very gross and scary.

How do they communicate?

These brown lizards communicate by a technique called tactile communication. Tactile communication is the sense of touch used for communicating. These reptiles can use either a direct form of touch or an indirect form of touch for communication or interaction with others. Direct touch includes licking, nudging, biting, and bumping other lizards. They sometimes even communicate verbally by producing a 'hissing' sound to warn other group mates of predators.

How big is a green-crested lizard?

The green-crested belongs to the Insecta class and is 21-22 in (53.3-55.8 cm) long. The Caiman lizard of the same class Insecta is two times the length of this lizard.  

How fast can a green-crested lizard move?

The exact speed of moving of these forests lizards is not known yet, but they are not fast movers. The species of frilled lizards of the same family Agamidae can attain a speed up to 30 mph (48.2 kph)

How much does a green-crested lizard weigh?

The exact weight of this green lizard is unknown, but the largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, weighs around 366 lb (166 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to the male and female of this species.

What would you call a baby green-crested lizard?

A baby of green-crested lizard is called a hatchling or a neonate'depending on the stage of life. If it is born alive, it is called a neonate. After this lizard has gone slightly but is still not an adult, it is called a juvenile.

What do they eat?

This lizard is a carnivore and the green-crested lizard diet consists of many small stick insects, ants, beetles, cicadas, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, cricket, and flies.

Are they poisonous?

This green-crested lizard is not a poisonous creature. The only lizard which is poisonous is the Heloderma or the Gila monster which belongs to the same class Reptilia. Though their venom is not too poisonous, it is strong enough to defeat prey.

Would they make a good pet?

The Calotes ristatellus (green-crested lizard) is neither very common nor suitable to be taken as a pet. They are reptiles and need a very natural habitat to survive in and grow to their best. Proper green-crested lizard care is quite crucial. Though people take them as a pet, it is harmful to pet reptiles and have them in your space of living.

Did you know...

One very interesting fact about the green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) is it tends to change the color of its body from natural light green to dark brown or light brown. This means they have a range of color change when they under stress. They do this only when they feel threatened or there is a predator around them. They return to green  after that. Even males show the variation in colors during copulation, however they change back to green again when they have finished.

Are green-crested lizards native to Singapore?

Yes, the green-crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) is a native species to Singapore. They used to be very commonly found in parks, forests, and small garden spaces of Singapore. Currently, they are declining from this territory due to increased competition from the changeable lizard.

Why are they called green-crested lizards?

These lizards are given the name, green-crested, because of how they look. They have a bright green body with a head of slightly blue shade. Moreover, they have a jagged crest on their neck as well. This is why they are called crested.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these black rat snake facts and sand lizard facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our free printable green-crested lizard coloring pages.