Draco melanopogon
Silhouette: Ian Medeiros · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Draco melanopogon, commonly known as the black-bearded gliding lizard or black-barbed flying dragon, is a species of agamid "flying lizard" endemic to Southeast Asia. It is a typically forest-dwelling arboreal lizard. It preys on small invertebrates like ants and is oviparous. They are notable for relying solely on dewlap-mediated communication, instead of conveying signals via both headbobbing and employing dewlaps, as is typical for lizards with dewlaps.
Boulenger GA. 1887. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III.... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I- XL. (Draco melanopogon, new species, p. 492).
Das I. 2006. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo. Sanibel Island Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-061-1. (Draco melanopogon, p. 79). Draco melanopogon entry at Ecology Asia website Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-barbed Flying Dragon sighting in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 47 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-barbed Flying Dragon in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–February, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-barbed Flying Dragon sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-barbed Flying Dragon sightings, Gunung Leuser National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-barbed Flying Dragon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Gunung Leuser National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
