Rhino Horn Lizard

The rhino-horned lizard, also known as Stoddart's unicorn lizard or the mountain horned agama, is endemic to the montane forests of central Sri Lanka, with records from Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains, Peak Wilderness, the Knuckles range and other hill localities. The head is oval and longer than wide. Males have a long horn-like appendage on the snout, about two thirds of the snout length, which is reduced or absent in females. The back is brownish green or yellowish brown, the tail has 10 to 16 dark brown crossbands, and the belly is light brownish grey (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is slow-moving and arboreal, found on trees 1 to 2 m above the ground, often resting vertically on a trunk. When threatened it opens its mouth wide to show the bright orange lining. Nationally Endangered (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).