Philippine sailfin lizard

Hydrosaurus pustulatus

Habitat

Semiaquatic lizard of forested wetlands, lowland waterways, riparian corridors, coastal forests and mangroves; it can also occur near cultivated areas.

Diet

Leaves, Flowers, Shoots, Insects

Facts

• It is closely associated with water: records place it along rivers and other waterways, including riparian corridors, mangroves and coastal forest. It may also turn up where these habitats meet cultivated land.
• Daylight is its main observed activity period. At night, field researchers found individuals resting in sheltered sleeping sites such as rock crevices.
• Females lay eggs in clutches reported from 3 to 12, with a mean of 7.5 eggs; the supplied dataset reports 3.5 clutches per year.

Research sources

• GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
• ReptTraits — Hydrosaurus pustulatus
• Quantitative analyses of squamate dentition demonstrate novel morphological patterns
• WildALERT Taxonomic Database
• The amphibians and reptiles of Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, II