The blue crested lizard, Calotes mystaceus, is also known as the Indo-Chinese forest lizard. It is an agamid lizard found across parts of South and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, and nearby regions.
This species is named for the bright blue that adult males can show on the head, throat, and front of the body. The rest of the body is often gray, olive, or brown with reddish markings, and a crest of pointed scales runs along the neck and back.
Blue crested lizards are both tree-climbing and ground-moving reptiles. They are active during the day and are usually found in forests, forest edges, wooded parks, gardens, and other places with plenty of branches and insects.
Their diet is mostly made up of insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, moths, and beetles. They wait on trunks, fences, or branches, then rush forward to snatch prey with a quick bite.
Like many lizards, the blue crested lizard lays eggs. It is not venomous and is not dangerous to people, though wild lizards should always be left alone so they can keep hunting insects and living their quiet lives among the trees.