Black Sailfin Dragon For Sale

Hydrosaurus pustulatus, commonly known as the black sailfin dragon for sale or the Philippine sailfin dragon, is a large semiaquatic agamid lizard endemic to all of the major island groups of the Philippines, with the exception of the Palawan islands.

 Like other sailfin lizards, they are characterized by large sail-like dorsal crests on their tails. They can grow to a maximum length of around 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m). They are strong swimmers, and smaller juvenile lizards can run briefly on the water surface. They inhabit areas of heavy vegetation near coastlines and low-lying rivers, particularly in mangrove forests. They are also known locally as layagan or balubid in Tagalog and ibid in the Visayan languages, among other names.

H. pustulatus is a protected species in the Philippines, as it is a target for the international exotic pet trade for their unique dorsal crests and bright coloration. The heavy deforestation of mangrove habitats in the last few decades is also a concern to their conservation.

Hydrosaurus pustulatus was first described as Istiturus pustulatus in 1829 by the Baltic German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz. The specimens were collected from Luzon, Philippines, by Eschscholtz during the circumnavigational voyage of the Imperial Russian expeditionary ship Predpriaetie from 1823 to 1826.

It is one of five species currently recognized under the genus Hydrosaurus, the sailfin dragons, and the only species found in the Philippines (the other species are native to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).

The Philippine sailfin lizard is found throughout the Philippine islands with the exception of the Palawan islands. Populations of Philippine sailfin lizards have been documented in Luzon (Aurora, Bicol), Polillo Islands, Samar, Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Camiguin, Bohol, Negros, Panay, Romblon (Romblon, Tablas, Sibuyan), Mindoro, and Mindanao (Zamboanga).