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From the tiniest of geckos inhabiting
people's houses to huge monitor lizards
of up to 3 metres, Southeast Asia's lizards have evolved to fill
an amazing range of ecological niches. The shapes, colours and mode of
life of the region's lizards is diverse in the extreme. New species are
constantly being discovered, particularly in the biodiversity hotspot which is
the island of Borneo.
The most remarkable of the region's lizards are the gliding lizards (or 'flying
dragons') of the genus
Draco. These highly evolved agamids possess a winged structure (the
patagium) which allows them to glide long distances from tree to tree. The most
diverse group of lizards are the smooth-bodied
skinks : often overlooked, these elusive animals are masters at quietly
disappearing from view.
The examples shown here give a snapshot introduction to the complex world of
Southeast Asia's lizards ...
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Crested Lizards (Agamidae)
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'Frasers Hill Tree Lizard'
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Earless Agamid
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Ornate Earless Agama
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Green Crested Lizard
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Changeable Lizard
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Forest Crested Lizard
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Borneo Anglehead Agamid
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Short-pouched Gliding Lizard
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Blanford's Gliding Lizard
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Formosa Gliding Lizard
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Red-barbed Gliding
Lizard
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Spotted Gliding Lizard
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Black-bearded Gliding
Lizard
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5-banded Gliding Lizard
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Sulawesi Lined Gliding Lizard
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Common Gliding Lizard
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Kendall's Rock Gecko
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Tioman Round-eyed Gecko
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Flat-tailed Gecko
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Kinabalu Angle-toed Gecko
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Peters' Forest Gecko
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Banded Slender-toed Gecko
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Marbled Forest Gecko
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Yoshi's Bow-fingered Gecko
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Four-clawed Gecko
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Tokay Gecko
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Spotted House Gecko
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Large Forest Gecko
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Spiny-tailed House Gecko
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Lowland Dwarf Gecko
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Maritime Gecko
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| Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko
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Striped Tree Skink
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Brown Tree Skink
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Olive Tree Skink
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Mangrove Skink
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Pacific Blue-tailed Skink
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Yellow Striped Tree Skink
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Speckled Forest Skink
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Many-lined Sun Skink
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Rough-scaled Brown Skink
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Bowring's Supple Skink
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Blue-throated Litter Skink
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Blotched Forest Skink
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Sabah Slender Skink
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Spotted Forest Skink
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'Sulawesi Forest Skink'
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Butterfly Lizards (Uromasticidae)
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Common Butterfly Lizard
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Clouded Monitor
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Komodo Dragon
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Malayan Water Monitor
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Crocodilians (Crocodilidae)
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Estuarine Crocodile
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