Borneo Forest Dragon Gonocephalus bornensis

Borneo Forest Dragon Gonocephalus bornensis

Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia (Kalimantan); Malaysia (Sarawak, Sabah)

The #Borneo Forest Dragon, also known as the Borneo Anglehead #Lizard is a vividly coloured lizard native to Borneo. This arboreal #reptile is known for their prominent crest and beautifully camouflaged body, allowing them to blend seamlessly into their rainforest surroundings. Found primarily in undisturbed and secondary rainforests, the Borneo Forest Dragon thrives in humid environments, often near streams.

Although the latest assessment by IUCN Red List revealed that they are ‘least concern’, the plans to move the capital of Indonesia to Kalimantan is concerning to conservationists and animal lovers alike. Rampant habitat loss from #palmoil and #timber #deforestation on the island of Borneo posses a grave threat. Protect these striking animals and their rainforest home when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife!

Cheeky, charismatic Borneo Forest #Dragons are the most beautiful #lizards you’ve never heard of. Living inside of #Borneo’s #forests, threats include #palmoil #deforestation and more. Help them survive #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8PU

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Borneo Forest Dragons are cold-blooded #reptile royalty in the #rainforests of #Malaysia and #Indonesia. Endless forests are being destroyed for #palmoil and #mining. Fight for #lizards when u shop #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8PU

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN-KYLuDvPg

Appearance & Behaviour

Male Borneo Forest Dragons are bigger than females, with longer tails and a more prominent crest. They lay up to four eggs per clutch, which are deposited in a small burrow in the soil. Their colouration provides excellent camouflage from predators in the rainforest canopy, where they spend most of their time.

Males can grow to up to 13.6 cm long and with longer tails than females, who are slightly smaller. These lizards stand out thanks to the crest on their necks and backs, which looks like a sharp, lance-shaped ridge. Males and females show colour dimorphism, with males typically brown, olive, and green, with dark patterns. Meanwhile females have a striking rust-red colour with oval spots on their sides.

Found in the vines and tree trunks of primary and secondary rainforests, these lizards are tree-dwellers, spending most of their time in the forest canopy. When they feel threatened, they raise their bodies and flare the crest on their neck to look bigger.

Threats

Palm oil and timber deforestation

The primary threat to the Borneo Forest Dragon is habitat loss due to the clearing of forests for agriculture, including palm oil plantations, and logging activities. As rainforests are cut down, lizards lose access to the trees they depend on for shelter, food, and breeding sites. Fragmentation of their habitat isolates populations and increases their vulnerability to other threats. They are also threatened by agricultural run-off and toxic pesticides impacting their fragile ecosystem.

Habitat destruction

Selective logging and human encroachment have fundamentally changed the structure of the forest making it less suitable for arboreal species like the Borneo Forest Dragon. Secondary forests, while still viable habitats, do not offer the same quality of resources as primary forests.

Climate change

Extreme weather and changes to rainfall patterns due to climate change are likely to threaten their rainforest ecosystem. This shift in weather conditions may disrupt their breeding and food availability, forcing them to move to less suitable environments.

Diet

The Borneo Forest Dragon is an insectivore, feeding primarily on small invertebrates found in their rainforest habitat. These lizards may opportunistically eat other small prey available in the forest, hunting in the trees.

Mating & Reproduction

Borneo anglehead lizards reproduce by laying eggs. Females deposit up to four eggs in a small burrow dug in the soil. The eggs, which are around 22 mm in length, are laid at intervals of three months. The species’ arboreal nature means they rely on well-structured forests with plenty of trees and lianas for shelter and nesting sites.

Habitat

The Borneo Forest Dragon is endemic to the island of Borneo. Their range includes Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Indonesia (Kalimantan), along with the Kingdom of Brunei. The Borneo Anglehead Lizard inhabits primary and secondary rainforests up to 700 metres above sea level. Preferring humid environments near streams where they can find abundant food and nesting sites.

Support the Borneo Forest Dragon by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Ecology Asia. (2024). Borneo anglehead lizard. Retrieved from https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/lizards/borneo-anglehead-lizard.htm

Iskandar, D. & McGuire, J. 2019. Gonocephalus bornensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T99929470A99929479. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T99929470A99929479.en. Accessed on 15 September 2024.

Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Gonocephalus bornensis. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonocephalus_bornensis

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

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Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

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https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

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American cities with the most trees per square mile

Source: thoughtco.com

Listed below are those larger American cities for whom data on tree canopies is readily available, that have the most trees per square mile. Bear in mind that some examples are solely from inside the city limits proper, while others like Miami are for both the city and surrounding county.

Most surprising from the data gathered is the extent of the tree canopies in some Texan cities, especially Dallas and its suburbs, as well as Austin. Also, an unfortunate number of cities have not estimated the extent of their tree canopy.

One would have thought that ever city with a collegiate forestry or landscape architecture program would have long since calculated the extent of their tree canopy. Certainly, some have, as Athens, Austin, Seattle, Ann Arbor, Gainesville, and Fort Collins all can attest. But to not find comparable numbers from places like Boulder, Eugene, Raleigh, or Madison was quite unexpected.

Peace!

Note: Data is for all trees on both public and private property.

_______

1. Athens, Georgia = 13.3 million or 112,640 trees per square mile

2. Austin, Texas = 33.8 million or 103,522 trees per square mile

3. Orlando, Florida = 7.5 million or 67,812 trees per square mile

4. Tampa, Florida = 9.9 million or 56,474 trees per square mile

5. Seattle, Washington = 4.35 million or 51,909 trees per square mile

6. Ann Arbor, Michigan = 1.45 million or 51,408 trees per square mile

7. Houston, Texas = 33 million or 49,624 trees per square mile for Houston

8. Gainesville, Florida = 2.95 million or 46,714 trees per square mile

9. Springfield, Missouri = 3.6 million or 43,742 trees per square mile

10. Bellevue, Washington = 1.4 million or 41,841 trees per square mile

11. Lewisville, Texas = 1.652 million or 38,870 trees per square mile

12. Dallas, Texas = 14.7 million or 38,103 trees per square mile

13. Washington, DC = 2.43 million or 35,578 trees per square mile

14. Denton, Texas = 3.5 million or 35, 425 trees per square mile

15. Milwaukee, Wisconsin = 3.38 million or 35,135 trees per square mile

16. Cleveland, Ohio = 2.37 million or 30,502 trees per square mile

17. Baltimore, Maryland = 2.8 million or 30,418 trees per square mile

18. Arlington, Texas = 2.965 million or 29,589 trees per square mile

19. Arlington, Virginia = 755,000 = 29,038 trees per square mile

20. Grand Rapids, Michigan = 1.28 million or 28,444 trees per square mile

21. Tulsa, Oklahoma = 5.2 million or 26,329 trees per square mile

22. New York City, New York = 7.0 million 23,133 trees per square mile

23. Plano, Texas = 1.6 million or 22,222 trees per square mile

24. Los Angeles, California = 10.5 million or 20,887 trees per square mile

25. Cincinnati, Ohio = 1.6 million or 20,566 trees per square mile

26. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania = 2.9 million or 20,322 trees per square mile

27. Providence, Rhode Island = 415,000 or 20,165 trees per square mile

28. Miami-Dade County, Florida = 36 million 0r 18,499 per square mile

29. Chicago, Illinois = 4.1 million or 18,038 trees per square mile

30. Minneapolis, Minnesota = 979,000 or 17,026 trees per square mile

31. Denver, Colorado = 2.2 million or 14,379 trees per square mile

32. San Francisco, California = 669,000 or 14,264 trees per square mile

33. Portland, Oregon = 1.4 million or 10,491 trees per square mile

34. Sacramento, California = 1.0 million or 9,990 trees per square mile

35. St. Paul, Minnesota = 500,000 or 8,897 trees per square mile

36. San Jose, California = 1.6 million or 8,825 trees per square mile

37. Fort Collins, Colorado = 500,000 or 8,741 trees per square mile

38. Irvine, California = 550,000 or 8,384 trees per square mile

39. Birmingham, Alabama = 1.0 million or 6,803 trees per square mile

40. Virginia Beach, Virginia = 3.2 million or 6,438 trees per square mile

41. El Paso, Texas = 1.28 million or 4,954 trees per square mile

42. Oakland, California = 200,000 or 2,564 trees per square mile

43. Buffalo, New York = 130,000 or 2,476 trees per square mile

SOURCES:

• https://www.texastrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Updated-State-of-the-Dallas-Urban-Forest-Report.pdf
• https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/content/article.aspx?id=23475#:~:text=An%20analysis%20of%20the%20Austin,oak%2C%20sugarberry%20and%20Texas%20persimmon.
• https://upwithtrees.org/Tulsa_UFMP_Final.pdf
• https://wordpress.com/post/panethos.wordpress.com/69529
• https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/reports/urban-tree-study.pdf
• https://www.tampa.gov/construction-services/tree-information#:~:text=Examples%20of%20protected%20trees%20include,go%20to%20the%20Accela%20website.
• https://www.tampa.gov/city-planning/natural-resource-planning/urban-forest-management-plan#:~:text=Tampa’s%20municipal%20forest%20consists%20of,species%20and%20145%20shrub%20species.
• https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/53315#:~:text=An%20analysis%20of%20the%20urban,red%20maple%2C%20and%20Norway%20maple.
• https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/news-press/2024/april-2024/cleveland-metroparks-launches-tree-planting-intera#:~:text=Total%20tree%20population%20is%20estimated,not%20tolerant%20to%20climate%20change
• https://caseytrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/iTree-2015-Report_English.pdf
• https://bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/forestry/treebaltimore/value#:~:text=Baltimore%20has%202.8%20million%20trees,and%20increasing%20our%20property%20values.
• https://chicagorti.org/2020-chicago-tree-census/#key-findings
• https://www.itreetools.org/documents/327/Milwaukee%20Ecosystem%20Analysis.pdf
• https://www.a2gov.org/departments/forestry/Pages/The-Urban-Forest.aspx#:~:text=The%20analysis%20estimates%20that%20Ann,produced%20by%20358%2C000%20automobiles%20annually.
• https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/natural-resources/forestry/landmark-tree-program#:~:text=The%20City%20of%20Saint%20Paul,the%20City%20of%20Saint%20Paul.
• https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/23593#:~:text=Abstract,quality%20in%20the%20Minneapolis%20area.
• https://coolgreentrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bham-Urban-Forest-Management-Plan-Upper-Village-Creek-Dec-2016.pdf
• https://www.americanforests.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Seattle-Urban-Forest-fact-sheet.pdf
• https://www.americanforests.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Portland-Urban-Forest-Fact-Sheet-FINAL.pdf
• https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2021/sf-tree-cover/#:~:text=San%20Francisco%20is%20home%20to%20an%20estimated%20669%2C000%20trees%2C%20covering,the%20wealth%20of%20its%20residents.
• https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/tree-services-fact-sheet-frequently-asked-questions#:~:text=Estimates%20show%20that%20Oakland’s%20urban,future%20of%20Oakland’s%20urban%20forest.
• https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-changes-rules-to-replenish-tree-canopy/#:~:text=There%20are%20roughly%201.6%20million,concerted%20effort%20to%20replace%20it.
• https://www.capradio.org/articles/2018/12/20/how-did-sacramento-get-so-many-trees/
• https://streetsla.lacity.org/faqs-ufd#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20estimated%20that,of%20the%20larger%20urban%20forest.
• https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e271a008988240e8acc7321a5cf5eb95
• https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/57234#:~:text=An%20analysis%20of%20the%20urban,pin%20oak%2C%20and%20red%20maple.
• https://www.arlnow.com/2023/02/14/how-protecting-outstanding-private-trees-figures-into-arlingtons-conservation-goals/#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%20755%2C000%20trees,directly%20managed%20by%20Arlington%20County.
• https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/virginia-beach-departments-docs/parks-rec/Outdoors/CaringForParks/Urban-Forest-Management-Plan.pdf
• https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/plano/environment/2022/03/01/trees-to-be-planted-along-road-in-effort-to-increase-planos-urban-forestry/#:~:text=By%20Erick%20Pirayesh%20%7C%207:00,Community%20Impact%20Newspaper%20staff)
• http://www.google.gemini.ai
• https://www.providenceri.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/iTreeEcoProv2014.pdf
• https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/TFS_Main/Urban_and_Community_Forestry/Services_for_Local_Government/Inventories_and_Reports/El%20Paso%20Community%20Forest%20Assessment_final%2011.26.pdf
• https://www.cityofdenton.com/1113/Urban-Forestry#:~:text=Denton’s%20urban%20forest%20plays%20a,2.2%25%20from%202008%20to%202014.
• https://www.itreetools.org/documents/37/GR_Report.pdf
• https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR276
• https://www.cityofirvine.org/news-media/news-article/city-irvines-50th-anniversary-arbor-day-celebration#:~:text=With%20over%20550%2C000%20trees%2C%20Irvine,lives%20due%20to%20COVID%2D19.
• https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/oes/natural-environment/tree-canopy/#:~:text=Cincinnati%20Parks%20%E2%80%93%20Street%20Trees,aesthetics%20throughout%20the%20urban%20forest.
• https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/uploadedFiles/TFS_Main/Urban_and_Community_Forestry/Services_for_Local_Government/Inventories_and_Reports/ArlingtonFinalUFOREAnalysisReport.pdf
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369649665_City_of_Lewisville_HIP_Appendix_E_-_Urban_Tree_Canopy_Study
• https://www.reed.edu/math-stats/241/2020/03/20/trees-buffalo/
• https://www.accgov.com/9914/Community-Tree-Study
• https://research.fs.usda.gov/nrs/news/releases/urban-forests-count-missouri#:~:text=Springfield%20has%203.6%20million%20trees,removal%20estimated%20at%20$2%20million.
• https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/community-development/environmental-stewardship/trees-open-space#:~:text=Bellevue’s%20estimated%201.4%20million%20trees,of%20natural%20areas%20each%20year