# Where Do Frilled Lizards Live?

> Where frilled lizards live: Tropical woodlands and dry forest, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Frilled Lizard (*Chlamydosaurus kingii*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (mainly insects)
- **Habitat:** Tropical woodlands and dry forest
- **Lifespan:** 10–20 years
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/frilled-lizard/where-do-frilled-lizard-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/frilled-lizard/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is a tree-dwelling reptile of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, famous for the wide, leathery frill it snaps open around its neck when threatened. It grows up to about 0.9 m (3 ft) long including the tail and weighs around 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). When alarmed on the ground it sprints away on its hind legs, and it can live 10 to 20 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## The famous frill and its bluff

The frill is a fold of skin supported by long rods of cartilage attached to the jaw. Normally it lies flat against the shoulders, but when the lizard opens its mouth the frill springs out into a disc that can be up to 30 cm across. Combined with hissing, gaping, and tail-lashing, this display makes the animal look far larger and more dangerous than it really is. The bluff is meant to startle a predator long enough for the lizard to escape.

## Help protect the Frilled Lizard

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/frilled-lizard/where-do-frilled-lizard-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.