View source for Dracaena (lizard)

{{Short description|Genus of lizards}}
{{other uses|Dracaena (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|text = [[caimans]] (a kind of crocodilian) or [[blue iguana]]s, which are sometimes called Grand Cayman iguanas}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Dracaena_guianensis_(1).jpg
| image_caption = [[Northern caiman lizard]] (''Dracaena guianensis'')
| fossil_range = [[Miocene|Mid Miocene]]-recent<br>~{{fossil range|13|0}}
| taxon = Dracaena (lizard)
| authority = [[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]] 1802
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
* ''[[Dracaena guianensis]]'' {{small|Daudin 1802 ([[type species|type]])}}
* ''[[Dracaena paraguayensis]]'' {{small|Amaral 1950}}
* †''[[Paradracaena colombiana]]'' {{small|Estes 1961}}
}}

'''''Dracaena''''' (romanized form of the [[Ancient Greek]] '''δράκαινα''' - ''drakaina'', "female [[dragon]]"<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddra%2Fkaina δράκαινα], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref>), is a [[genus]] of [[lizard]]s, also [[Common name|commonly]] called '''caiman lizards''' or '''water tegus''', in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Teiidae]], along with [[Tegu|tegus]] and [[Ameiva|ameivas]]. Caiman lizards are native to [[South America]], where they are found in [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Paraguay]], and [[Peru]]. These [[semiaquatic]] lizards spend a lot of time in the water and inhabit marshes, streams, and flooded forests. Caiman lizards often bask on branches overhanging the water.

== Classification ==
===Extant Species===
Listed alphabetically.<ref>[http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?genus=Dracaena&submit=Search ''Dracaena''], The Reptile Database</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution
|-
| [[File:Damn those Mosquitos by Bill Hallier (49495364182).jpg|120px]]  || ''Dracaena guianensis'' {{small|Daudin 1802}} ||[[northern caiman lizard]] or Guyana caiman lizard || Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil. 
|-
| [[File:Paraguay Caiman Lizard (Dracaena paraguayensis) (48434599422).jpg|120px]]  || ''[[Dracaena paraguayensis]]'' {{small|Amaral 1950}} ||Paraguayan caiman lizard || Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. 
|-
|}

===Fossils===

* †''[[Paradracaena colombiana]]'' {{small|Estes 1961}} - the [[Miocene|Middle Miocene]] ([[Laventan]]) [[Honda Group, Colombia]]<ref name=GBIFDracaena>[https://www.gbif.org/species/126881972 ''Dracaena colombiana''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321180803/https://www.gbif.org/species/126881972 |date=2019-03-21 }} at [[GBIF]]</ref><ref name=Sullivan1997_p102>Sullivan & Estes, 1997, p. 102</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Young Caiman lizard.jpg|thumb]]
The caiman lizards are built similarly to their cousins the [[tegu]]s, with a large, heavyset body and short but powerful limbs. Their heads are bulky and often a red or orange color. Their jaws are heavily muscular to help aid in eating its normal prey of snails, crawfish and fresh water clams. They also have a few adaptations that help them in their watery habitat. They have long, laterally flattened tails, similar to their namesake, the [[yacare caiman]]. The long tails help the caiman lizards to successfully swim and dive. They also have clear third eyelids which are thought to act like a pair of goggles underwater.

The coloration of the [[northern caiman lizard]] (''Dracaena guianensis'') is very similar to that of a crocodile. It is typically bright green with slight dark green banding. The Paraguayan caiman lizard (''[[Dracaena paraguayensis]]'') is typically much more drab, with a gray body and head. There are tough raised scutes along the dorsal portion of the back. These give the caiman lizards a crocodilian appearance and help to provide some protection against predators. These lizards can become up to {{cvt|4|ft|m}} long and weigh up to {{cvt|10|lb|kg}}.

== Captivity ==
[[File:Caiman lizard.JPG|thumb|Specimen on display at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C.]]
Caiman lizards are kept in private collections, but they are not yet kept in large numbers due to their tendency to only accept snails and their high price. Additionally, caiman lizards are arboreal, aquatic and burrowing, so suitable enclosures are usually only made by zoos. Caiman lizards born in captivity have been known to take a variety of food items, including snails, fish, cat food and crustaceans. Their temperament is comparable to that of a tegu.

== References ==
{{Commons category|Dracaena (reptile)}}
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{portal|Reptiles}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sullivan |first1=Robert M. |author1-link=Robert M. Sullivan |last2=Estes |first2=Richard |author2-link=Richard Estes (paleoherpetologist) |editor1=Kay, R.F. |editor1-link=Richard Kay (anthropologist) |editor2=Madden, R.H. |editor2-link=Richard H. Madden |editor3=Cifelli, R.L. |editor3-link=Richard L. Cifelli |editor4=Flynn, J.J. |editor4-link=John Joseph Flynn |year=1997 |title=Vertebrate Paleontology in the Neotropics: The Miocene Fauna of La Venta, Colombia |chapter=A reassessment of the fossil Tupinambinae |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289505175 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |pages=100–112 |accessdate=2019-03-21}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q655798}}

[[Category:Dracaena (lizard)| ]]
[[Category:Lizard genera]]
[[Category:Lizards of South America]]
[[Category:Taxa named by François Marie Daudin]]