Calotes

Calotes is a genus of arboreal (tree-dwelling) lizards in the Agamidae family that is known for its dramatic colour changes when excited. It may be found in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and certain Pacific islands' gardens and woods. However, the taxonomy is unclear, and around 21 species have been identified, which differ largely in size arrangement. Insects and other tiny invertebrates make up the food of these lizards, garden lizard size range in length from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 inches). Calotes colour is usually like a  garden lizard colour, green or brown in colour, with a horizontally flattened body.

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Males and females have different colour patterns, although males have more vibrant colours than females. The head, neck, and front portion of the body of C. mystaceus males are mostly grey, but the head, neck, and front part of the body are green. A light-coloured stripe runs along with the first third of the body from the upper mouth. C. calotes, on the other hand, is green with white bands extending from the dorsal scales to the margins of the breast slightly below the front legs.

Calotes Versicolor

Calotes is a lizard genus belonging to the Agamidae family's draconine lineage. There are 25 species in this genus. Some are called forest lizards, others "bloodsuckers" because of their crimson heads, while yet others (such as C. Versicolor) are called garden lizards. Calotes species are found in South Asia, southern China, mainland Southeast Asia, and the Indonesian island of Ambon. Calotes Versicolor has also been discovered in Florida, Borneo, Sulawesi, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Oman. 

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The Western Ghats, northeast India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have the most species diversity in the genus. Calotes is a diverse genus that may be split into two groups: C. versicolor and C. liocephalus. The former may be found throughout most of South Asia, as well as further east. The dorsal and lateral scales of all species in this group point upward. The latter is only found in Sri Lanka and the southern Western Ghats. The scales of all species in this group are oriented back, up and down, or down alone. It needs to be seen if more splitting is required or whether the groupings are subgenera of monophyletic Calotes.

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Description

It is an insectivore, and during the breeding season, the male has a brilliant red neck. It's nearly 10 cm (3.9 in) long from snout to tail. The total length of the animal, including the tail, can reach 37 cm (14.5 in). Above each tympanum are two tiny clusters of spines that are perfectly separated from each other. On the neck and anterior portion of the trunk, the dorsal crest is fairly high, reaching to the base of the tail in large individuals and progressively diminishing on the middle of the trunk in younger ones. 

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There is no fold in front of the shoulder, but the scales behind the lower jaw are considerably smaller than the others, and there is no gular sac. Around the centre of the trunk, there are 39 to 43 series of scales. In adults, the rear foot (measured from the heel to the end of the fourth toe) is not much longer than the head, but in children, it is somewhat longer. The colour varies greatly, sometimes being uniformly brownish, greyish-olive, or yellowish in appearance. Broad brown stripes run the length of the back, broken by a golden lateral band. Black streaks radiate from the eye, and some of them continue over the throat, running obliquely backwards the belly often has greyish longitudinal stripes, the most significant of which is one along the median line; young and half-grown specimens have a dark, black-edged band across the inter-orbital region.

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The ground colour is usually a light brownish olive, but the lizard has the ability to alter it to brilliant red, black, or a combination of the two. Sometimes the change is confined to the head, while other times it affects the entire body and tail. According to Mr Jerdon, it is most commonly seen seated on a hedge or bush, with the tail and limbs black, the head and neck yellow with red, and the rest of the body red.

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Jerdon and Blyth both believe that the male's vivid, changing colours are unique to the mating season, which takes place in May and June. Mouhot has collected one of those fine colour variations in Siam, which appear to be infinite. It has cross-section streaks between the eyes and radiating lines that go from India to China; it is quite prevalent in Ceylon but does not spread into the Himalayan temperate zone. Ceylonese specimens are typically bigger; one of them was 16 inches long, with an 11-inch tail. 

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It lives in hedges and trees and is known as Calotes tree dragon or "Bloodsucker," a term whose origins are unknown. The name was probably given to it because of the occasional reddish colour of the throat and neck. In Bengali, "Roktochosha" means "Bloodsucker." The female lays five to sixteen soft oval eggs, measuring about 5/8 of an inch long, in tree hollows or burrowed holes in the dirt, then covers them up. In about eight or nine weeks, the young appear. On a hot sunny day, lone Bloodsucker might be spotted lazing in the sun on a twig or a wall, mouth wide open. After a rain shower, a large number of them descend to the ground to pick up the larva and small insects that fall from the trees during the showers. 

Habitat

The male's head and shoulders turn bright orange to red during the breeding season, and his neck turns black. After a successful battle with rivals, males likewise turn red-headed. Both males and females have a crest that runs from the top of their heads to the bottom of their tails, earning them the nickname "Calotes tree dragon or Crested Tree Lizard" Iguanas are linked to changeable lizards (which are found only in the New World). They do not shed their tails (autotomy), unlike other lizards, and their tails can be quite long, rigid, and pointed. They lose their skins, much as other reptiles. Changeable Lizards, like chameleons, can shift each of their eyes in various directions.

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Structure of Calotes

Calotes' body is divided into three sections, head, trunk, and tail. The head is connected to the trunk by a short, thin neck. Calotes head appears to be triangular in shape. The nose is small, pointed, and has a pair of external nares, or openings. The eyes have a nictitating membrane that may be moved. A transverse aperture acts as the mouth. It is in a terminal position with no lips. The tympanum is a structure that is located behind the eyes. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are two pairs of appendages on the elongated, sub-cylindrical trunk.

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Each forelimb is separated into three sections brachium, anti-brachium, and manus. The femur, crus, and pes are the three bones that make up the hind limb. The limbs terminate in digits, which are equipped with highly pointed claws. The cloacal aperture, also known as the vent, is a transverse opening located at the base of the tail and in the posteroventral region of the trunk. In front of the cloacal aperture is a large cloacal plate.

It has a long, thin, and tapering tail.

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It is twice as long as the head and body combine. Males have a snout-to-vent length of 120-140 mm and a tail length of 300-500 mm. Females have a shorter body length of 15-20 mm. The dorsal surface of the body is brown or greyish, while the ventral surface is filthy white. The dorsal surface might be completely homogeneous or feature dark-brown transverse patches or bars. From the eye area, dark streaks radiate. Two pale yellow dorsolateral stripes are common in young girls. Males that are fully developed have a greenish tint to their skin. 

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The tail has black and pale annuli that alternate. Calotes, like many lizards, especially chameleons, has the ability to change the colour of their skin. The contraction or enlargement of chromatophores (pigment cells), which are presumably controlled by the nervous system, causes colour changes. The colour is a protective device that keeps the animal safe from predators.

Skin

Calotes' skin has been heavily changed to live on land. The epidermis develops much more elaborate than the dermis to protect the animal from frictional contact with the dry ground and to avoid desiccation in dry air. Skin glands, which are abundant in amphibians, are virtually non-existent. The femoral glands in men are the only skin glands seen in Calotes. These can be seen on the thigh's posteroventral border. During the reproductive cycle, these glands become active. The lack of skin glands and the development of scales all over the body are evolutionary accomplishments for dry-land survival. Calotes' skin develops as simple cuboidal ectoderm as first.

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After this, the ectoderm separates into an exterior periderm and an inner basal germinative layer. Due to the increase of outer layers, the epidermis stratifies, and scales appear subsequently. The epidermis is made up of an inner layer of columnar cells called the Stratum germinativum (or Malpigian layer) that is organised atop a foundation membrane. A dead stratum corneum represents the epidermis' outermost layer. The transitional layer is found between the stratum corneum and the stratum germinativum. Over the scales, the stratum corneum thickens, but between the scales, this layer thins. 

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Reproduction

During the mating season, males become extremely territorial. They highlight their red heads and do "push-ups" to repel intruding males. Each tries to attract a girl by enlarging his neck and highlighting his attractively coloured head. Oviparous; around 10—20 eggs are deposited in wet soil. The eggs are long, spindle-shaped, and leathery in appearance. They take around 6–7 weeks to hatch. They can breed when they are around one year old. 

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Diet

Crickets, grasshoppers, ants, and small vertebrates, such as rodents and other lizards, are the major foods of changeable lizards. Although they contain teeth, they are designed to grip rather than tear prey. As a result, prey is eaten intact after being shocked by shaking it. Young, inexperienced changeable lizards have been known to choke on prey that is too large. Vegetable stuff is occasionally eaten by changeable lizards.

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Distribution

The species' natural range encompasses Southeast Asia. Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (South) (Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Hainan Island), India (including the Andaman Islands), Indonesia (Sumatra), Maldives, Mauritius (Reunion, Rodrigues), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, Vietnam (including Pulo Condore Island). Brunei, Celebes, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, and the United States have all received it. In the 1980s, lizards from Malaysia and Thailand were brought to Singapore. They pose a threat to the Green-Crested Lizard, which is native to Singapore. 

The Changeable Lizard is a common species that may be found in a variety of environments. They appear to be able to adapt well to people and so are not considered endangered. They are often found in open environments, even heavily urbanised regions, among the undergrowth. However, because they are killed in China, their numbers are dropping.

Calotes is a genus of arboreal (tree-dwelling) lizards in the Agamidae family. It may be found in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and certain Pacific islands' gardens and woods. Species range in length from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 inches) The Ceylonese lizard is known in Ceylon as "Bloodsucker," a term whose origins are unknown. It has cross-section streaks between the eyes and radiating lines that go from India to China. The colour varies greatly, sometimes being uniformly brownish, greyish-olive or yellowish. Calotes' body is divided into three sections: head, trunk, and tail. Males have a snout-to-vent length of 120-140 mm and a tail length of 300-500 mm. Females have a shorter body length of 15-20 mm. The epidermis develops much more elaborate than the dermis to protect the animal from frictional contact with the dry ground and to avoid desiccation in dry air. Calotes' skin glands, which are abundant in amphibians, are virtually non-existent.