Kangaroo Lizards, where present in Sri Lanka, are both excellent and quite common. There are two species, which are distinguished most readily by the color of the spot on the humorously large dewlaps of adult males. This is the first individual Kangaroo Lizard I saw, found in the late afternoon of my first day in the country. You can see that this is unquestionably the Black-spotted Kangaroo Lizard. (I confess that this fine fellow is only displaying his identifying dewlap due to the help of a little prodding on the part of my guide Udaya Chanaka.)

Though common and diurnal, Kangaroo Lizards are much easier to find at night than during the day. At night a walk through the forest will reveal many of them clinging to various branches and twigs and leaves in positions of wildly varying silliness.

By day they generally spend their time in leaf litter, where they are extremely well camouflaged. And they know that they are extremely well camouflaged, so they tend not to move unless you get very close.