Asian Grass Lizards

Takydromus sexlineatus

Description

Takydromus sexlineatus is easily identifiable by a long tail, and has a white to cream coloured underbelly with a brown, green or beige back, often adorned with brown stripes of different shades. It typically has a small head with a sharply pointed snout and black or pink tongue. Its body is slightly elongated and thin with small pointy scales beneath the chin resembling a beard. Males have white spots on their sides, while females do not. Males have tails that thicken past the vent and are generally thicker than the female’s down the entire length of the tail. The light stripes on the length of the body are yellower than the female’s, which are more cream coloured. They grow up to 12 inches (30 cm.) long, with the tail usually being three times their body length

Population Size

Unknown

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

30 cm

Ar

Arboreal

Ca

Carnivore

Di

Diurnal

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Reptilia

ORDER

:

Squamata

FAMILY

:

Lacertidae

GENUS

:

Takydromus

SPECIES

:

Takydromus sexlineatus

Distribution

Takydromus sexlineatus inhabits open grassland and marshes with tall grasses

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : Takydromus sexlineatus is found throughout South East Asia, and is native to a number of countries including India, China, Thailand, and Indonesia

Habits and Lifestyle

Takydromus sexlineatus is diurnal lizards that emerge in the early morning to bask in the sun. If a potential predator approaches they will first remain completely still, and then if the danger persists, they will flee to the safety of foliage. Both sexes use arm-waving gestures (similar to a front crawl swimming action), apparently to communicate with each other. They are very agile and fast.

Lifestyle

Arboreal

Biome

Grassland

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

Takydromus sexlineatus feeds on small insects such as flies, In captivity they can be reared on crickets and like other small lizards may require a calcium substitute. It is advisable in captivity to vary food including mealworms, sterile maggots or waxworms in addition to crickets although it is possible to feed them garden caught insects. Unlike some larger reptiles, these lizards have extremely fast reactions and have been observed jumping into the air to catch flying prey such as flies.

Diet : Carnivora

Mating Habits

Takydromus sexlineatus is a species that reproduces by laying eggs or oviparous, the female produces 2-3 eggs.

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods: –

Independent age : at birth

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : 2 – 3 eggs

Population

Population status : Least Concern (LC)

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

Population threats​

This species is harvested for the pet trade, however, collection from the wild is minimal and not likely to be causing significant population declines.

Population number​

Takydromus sexlineatus is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and tolerance of a broad range of habitats, including modified environments. No major threats have been reported and this species is not thought to be undergoing a significant population decline

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. Somaweera, R. 2020. A Naturalist’s Guide To The Reptiles and Amphibians of Bali. John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford, England.
  2. Takydromus sexlineatus on IUCN Red List
  3. Auliya, M. 2010. Takydromus sexlineatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T178424A7544274
  4. Takydromus sexlineatus on Wikipedia article