By Michael Snedic

Southern Angle-headed Dragon’s are prehistoric-looking dragons, which use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings, especially in the face of danger. They are somewhat similar to the Boyd’s Forest Dragon of Queensland’s wet tropics however this species is subtropical being found in rainforests and adjacent wet sclerophyll forests on the coastal ranges of eastern Australia. They range from Gosford in New South Wales to Gympie in Queensland.

Being arboreal, much of their time is spent in the canopy or clinging to vines and small saplings. They are very much dependant on the rainforest for their shelter and food, feasting on a variety of insects including beetles, larvae and stick insects. They are also egg layers, with the females laying 2-8 soft-shelled eggs in spring and early summer.

Unfortunately, due to loss of habitat and illegal collecting the Southern Angle-headed Dragon is threatened with extinction and classed as vulnerable.

One of the few places you might be lucky enough to see a Southern Angle-headed Dragons is the Booyong Flora Reserve, a remnant of the Big Scrub in northern New South Wales. The Big Scrub was once the largest expanse of subtropical rainforest in Australia, whereas today less than one percent remains today as scattered fragmented remnants. Not for profit organisation Rainforest Rescue has been working with the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group since 1999 to restore the Big Scrub remnants and ultimately the homes of species such as the threatened Southern Angle-headed Dragon. The Booyong Flora Reserve has been a major focus of their Big Scrub Restoration Project. Your tax-deductible donation to Rainforest Rescue and the Big Scrub Restoration Project will help us restore this valuable habitat. Funds are used to further this very successful project be engaging professional rainforest regenerators to remove weeds and allow natural regeneration of the rainforest. Please make a donation visiting www.rainforestrescue.org.au or phone 02 6684 4360.

Southern Angle-headed Dragon facts:

· Similar to Boyd’s Forest Dragon but Southern Angle-headed Dragon found in south-east Qld and northern N.S.W rainforests in coastal regions
· Arboreal
· Prehistoric-looking
· Dependant on rainforest for shelter and food
· Threatened

Threatened species found at the Booyong Flora Reserve
Threatened Flora

Ball Nut, Floydia praealta
Thorny Pea, Desmodium acanthodadum
Southern Ochrosia, Ochrosia moorei
Red Lilly Pilly, Syzygium hodgkinsoniae
Arrow Head Vine, Tinospora tinosporoides
Sweet Myrtle, Austromyrtus fragrantissima
Acalypha, Acalypha eremorum
Brush Sauropus, Phyllanthus microcladus
Isoglossa, Isoglossa eranthemoides

Threatened Fauna

Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Ptilinopus regina
Superb Fruit-dove, Ptilinopus superbus
Black Bittern, Ixobrychus flavicollis
Southern Angle-headed Dragon, Hypsilurus spinipes
Eastern Long-eared Bat, Nycotophilus bifax
Greater Broad-nosed Bat, Scoteanax rueppellii
Little Bent-wing Bat, Miniopterus australia
Grey-headed Flying-fox, Pteropus poliocephalus
Black Flying Fox, Pteropus alecto