The frilled lizard can be very colorful but the lizard is famous for the big ruffled collar around its necks and its photogenic posturing with this big collar that makes it look like a lizard satellite dish. This lizard is an intimidator to its foes, expanding its collar to frighten away its enemies. The collar actually is about 10 in (26 cm) when it is erected, and makes the lizard look larger in appearance and size than it actually is, which is a big part of their successful scare tactic.

They have large mouths which work in conjunction with the collar around the neck – they always open their mouths real wide when the put on their “don’t mess with me” stance and they roll their tails about for added effect. If the lizard feels like it is danger from a predator, like a feral cat for example, it will put on its scary face to buy some time and then get up on its hind legs and run away to look for a tree to climb to safety.

They are very active during daylight hours, lurking around in trees and on the ground in hopes of finding insects and other smaller animals to feed on. The long slender-bodied lizard is about 26 in (66 cm) in size including a long tail that can be slightly longer than 17 in (44 cm) in length. It lives in dry forests and wooded areas, and can be found in the North of Western Australia.