Tiny Real-Life Dragon Photographed in Indonesia

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No, this is not a photoshop trick. A Reddit user by the name of Biophilia_curiosus captured this insanely cool species of gliding lizard in Buton, Indonesia.

According to Wikipedia, it’s called Draco volans, or the Flying Dragon. They are native to the southwest tropical forests of Asia and India, including Borneo and the Philippine Islands.

In order to move from one place to another, Flying Dragons will spread the skin flaps along their abdomens and glide out of trees or from other high areas. When the Flying Dragon is about to take off, it will point its head toward the ground. Interestingly, they never glide when it is raining or when it is windy.

“The crazy part is that those lines you see running through the wings like veins are actually its ribs! Evolution did a number on these guys. They can expand and contract their chests at will to glide great distances. We were only able to catch females as they were laying their eggs. All we could do is watch as the males soared overhead.” – Biophilia_curiosus.

Image credits: Biophilia_curiosus | via: NationalTraveller & treehugger

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