With dinosaur-like scowls and spiked spines, sailfin dragons look like relics from a primordial world or a mythical beast – but they are very much real and here to stay. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Also known as sailfin lizards , they are part of the same suborder as iguanas and chameleons, although they slot into their own genus, taxonomically known as Hydrosaurus . There are at least five known species, four native to Indonesia and one found in the Philippines.

The Indonesian giant sailfin dragon ( Hydrosaurus microlophus ) is the largest and heaviest of the genus, while perhaps the most charismatic is the Philippine sailfin lizard ( Hydrosaurus pustulatus ), whose males can turn electric blue or violet d

See Full Page