Overview
The Short-crested Bay Island Forest Lizard (Coryphophylax subcristatus) is an agile, diurnal agamid lizard strictly endemic to the tropical rainforests of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the eastern Indian Ocean. Clothed in shades of mossy green and bark-brown with a low denticulate crest, this common arboreal lizard occupies an ecological niche equivalent to mainland garden lizards. Frequently observed clinging vertically to tree trunks along lush jungle trails and littoral forest margins, it represents one of the most ubiquitous native squamates of India’s island territories.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Coryphophylax subcristatus possesses a slender, laterally compressed body tailored for climbing vertical tree boles. Along the nape of its neck and down its spine runs a continuous, low denticulate crest of small triangular scales, distinctly shorter and more uniform than that of its sister taxon, Coryphophylax brevicaudus. Coloration is highly variable and capable of rapid physiological change: dorsal tones range from deep olive-green to rich chocolate-brown, mottled with creamy yellow chevrons and dark transverse flank bars. Adult males possess a small, distensible gular dewlap washed in pale grey or orange-yellow, which they flash during territorial disputes, and an extraordinarily long, whip-like tail that accounts for nearly two-thirds of total body length.
Behavior and Ecology
Active by day throughout the forest understory, the short-crested bay island forest lizard is a classic sit-and-wait visual predator. It perches upright on tree trunks one to two meters above the ground, scanning the damp leaf litter for passing arthropods. Upon spotting a cricket or beetle, it darts to the ground with lightning speed, captures the prey, and instantly scampers back up the tree to feed safely away from ground predators such as kraits and centipedes. When approached by humans or raptors, it slips smoothly around to the opposite side of the tree trunk to maintain visual concealment.
Conservation and Human Impact
Evaluated as Least Concern by the IUCN, Coryphophylax subcristatus remains exceptionally common and resilient across both large and small islands throughout the Andaman and Nicobar chain. It adapts well to secondary regrowth, home gardens, and plantation edges provided sufficient mature trees remain intact. While localized habitat degradation from infrastructure development and timber harvesting occurs on larger islands such as South Andaman, extensive tribal reserves and protected wildlife sanctuaries provide inviolate sanctuaries for this charismatic island lizard.
Interesting Factoid
When startled by an approaching threat, the short-crested bay island forest lizard spirals smoothly around tree trunks in synchronization with the observer’s movement, keeping the tree bark precisely between itself and the threat at all times.
Last updated: October 2026