Acanthosaura is a genus of lizards, commonly known as mountain horned dragons or pricklenape agamas, in the family Agamidae. The common name "pricklenape" refers to a row of dorsal spines which runs down the back of the neck. They are arboreal lizards found in Southeast Asia. They are medium-sized, their total length (including tail) ranging from about , depending on species and individual. As the common name "mountain horned dragons" implies, they tend to prefer higher elevation areas with dense vegetation.
Diet Mountain horned dragons are insectivorous, consuming only live food. Common foods in captivity include crickets, earthworms, silkworms, mealworms, moths, roaches, wax worms, and grasshoppers. They require a variety in diet and will often refuse food when offered in excessive redundancy.
Typical Acanthosaura feeding behavior is a sit-and-wait style. They will perch off the ground until they spot their prey, which is often down on the ground. A display of aerobatics is not uncommon from Acanthosaura species when hunting food. They will eat and hunt fish, but most will not submerge their heads to catch a meal.
Reproduction Females of the genus Acanthosaura lay their first clutch of eggs about four months after mating. They may lay up to four clutches total per year, separated by a month or two.
In captivity Mountain horned dragons are popular pets, and readily available in the exotic pet trade. A. capra is considered the hardiest and most easily kept species of the genus, and is the most common species found for sale in the United States. While not considered to be difficult to breed in captivity, most specimens available are wild caught. However, due to captive breeding, more and more captive bred lizards are available.
Species Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Acanthosaura armata armored pricklenape, peninsular horned tree lizard Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Acanthosaura aurantiacrista Thailand Acanthosaura bintangensis Bukit Larut Mountain horned agamid, Bintang horned tree lizard Perak, Peninsular Malaysia Acanthosaura brachypoda Vietnam Acanthosaura capra green pricklenape Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Acanthosaura cardamomensis (Acanthosaura cardamomensis, new species). western Cambodia, eastern Thailand Acanthosaura coronata crowned spiny lizard Vietnam Acanthosaura crucigera Boulenger's pricklenape, masked horned tree lizard Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam Acanthosaura lepidogaster brown pricklenape Burma, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam Acanthosaura liui China Acanthosaura longicaudata long-tailed horned tree lizard, long-tailed horned agamid China Acanthosaura meridiona Thailand Acanthosaura murphyi Central Vietnam (Acanthosaura murphyi, new species). Acanthosaura nataliae Vietnam Acanthosaura phongdienensis Vietnam Acanthosaura phuketensis Phuket horned tree agamid southwestern Thailand Acanthosaura prasina Vietnam Acanthosaura rubrilabris red-lipped horned tree lizard, red-lipped horned agamid China Acanthosaura syrax western Thailand Acanthosaura titiwangsaensis Malayan Mountain horned agamid, Titiwangsa horned tree lizard Fraser's Hill and Cameron Highlands, Pahang, and Peninsular Malaysia Acanthosaura tongbiguanensis China
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