Chinese Water Dragon

Chinese Water Dragon
インドシナウォータードラゴン
Character Data
AKA		Indochinese water dragon, Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, green water dragon
Romaji		Indoshina wōtā doragon
Debut		Kemono Friends 3
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Physignathus cocincinus
Distribution		Southeast Asia
Diet		Omnivore
Avg. Lifespan		10-15 years
Read More		Chinese water dragon
Conservation

Chinese Water Dragon​

KF3​

Gallery

Chinese Water Dragon is a type of reptile Friend who was revealed on Twitter as part of new keychain merch and subsequently appeared in Kemono Friends 3.

Appearance

Chinese Water Dragon has a literal reptilian appearance: Her hair is a bright teal-green in a bob cut. The thick bangs that frame her face have white tips. The back of her head has several spiked "spines", mimicking the real life animal. On top of her head are two raised Her eyes are hard and angled, with several alternating rings of red and gold, a case of central heterochromia.

The clothes are fairly simple- her headband is a soft green with white frills, and an equally frilly white choker. The shirt is a white cropped tank top with yet more frills on the neckline. The shorts are bright emerald green. The arm and leg warmers are an even brighter green and have a fishnet pattern. By her shoulders and knees, the warmers end with a buckle and black pointed marks. Lastly, the impressively long tail is nearly identical to the real life animal's: green and ivory white with repeating black bands.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role
2019	Kemono Friends 3	↪ Playable character

In Real Life

A Chinese Water Dragon at the Khao Yai National Park. Photo by user Rushenb.

The Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) is a large species of Agamidae lizard native to Southern China and mainland Southeast Asia (which includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam). They are diurnal lizards, well adapted to the subtropical forests of their native habitat.

Healthy adults are large and robust lizards. Males can go up to 90 cm (3 feet) in total length, including the tail. Females are typically around 60 cm (2 feet). Both sexes have bright green colorations to their scales, though if stressed, the scales can turn a dull brown or gray. Both sexes also bear a fringe of enlarged scales which runs down the length of the spine. There is distinct sexual dimorphism, with the males being much heavier (up to 0.6 kg or 1.3 lbs.), compared to the females 0.25 kg (0.55 lbs.). Males also have prominent display features, including an arched crest which extends along the rear of the neck and onto the back.

The Chinese Water Dragon's native habitat is the subtropical forests of southern China (specifically Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces) and Southeast Asia (specifically Vietnam, Laos, portions of Cambodia, and eastern Thailand). Unconfirmed reports hint at a potential population in Myanmar. They are most commonly found within dense evergreen forests along the banks of freshwater streams. Water Dragons prefer to live in a humid climate with mild seasons; humidity levels averaging of 40–80% and temperatures ranging from 80–90 °F (26–32 °C) are preferred. They can be found between elevations of around 50 meters (164 ft) and 820 meters (2690 ft), though their abundance declines strongly above around 270 meters (885 ft).

Their reliance on undisturbed forest streams indicates that, despite their wide range of occurrence, Chinese water dragons are a geographically restricted species. Interestingly, males prefer to defend wide or deep streams while female territories occupy more dry land.

An illustration from 1864 by Albert Gunther and R. Hardwicke. Photo provided by the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

A diurnal species, they forage for prey within small territories in the morning and midday. They are also semi-arboreal (spending much of their time in trees or plants); adult males in particular tend to rest during the night on tree limbs. Male territories do not overlap, as they are highly aggressive and protective of their spaces. Females, on the other hand, are much more lax and tolerant of their territories.

Omnivorous by nature, a Chinese Water Dragon's diet consists of insects, with the occasional small vertebrate, eggs, and snails. Introduced Dragons in Taiwan are known to prey on native lizards, frogs, snakes, and mice. In captivity, however, their diets can be supplemented with non-toxic fruits and vegetables.

They are oviparous, and each clutch ranges from 5 to 16 eggs. The eggs are buried in sandy riverbanks near the end of the winter. Around two to three months later, the eggs will hatch in the early part of the summer. Sexual maturity is reached within a year. While the Dragons reproduce sexually in the wild, there is one case of a captive female reproducing via facultative parthenogenesis, or asexual reproduction. A female housed at the Smithsonian National Zoo produced viable offspring in 2016 and 2018, along with numerous unfertilized and nonviable eggs. Out of all the eggs and offspring produced in both clutches, only two hatchlings survived.

Though locally abundant in some areas, the Chinese water dragon faces persistent unrestrained threats and thus a steadily declining wild population. These threats include hunting for their meat and skin, eggs being used in traditional medicines, habitat loss, and being captured for the exotic pet trade. It is currently listed as Vulnerable in Vietnamese conservation lists, and Endangered in Thailand and China. On an international scale, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has declared it a Vulnerable species as of 2017.

Trivia

A pet Chinese Water Dragon in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Esin Üstün from Istanbul, Turkey.

• The species (and genus) were first described by French naturalist and Zoologist Georges Cuvier in 1829.
• According to most genetic analyses, Physignathus cocincinus is the sister taxon or the most basal (earliest branching) species of the agamid subfamily Amphibolurinae.
• There are many alternate names, including the Indochinese water dragon, Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, and Green water dragon.
• The tail alone takes up around 70% of the total body length.
• If threatened, a Chinese water dragon will run to the nearest stream and either swim to safety or remain submerged for up to 90 minutes.
• Nearly all Water Dragons exported to the United States are Vietnamese in origin.

References

• Wikipedia Page
• Stuart, B., Sumontha, M., Cota, M., Panitvong, N., Nguyen, T.Q., Chan-Ard, T., Neang, T., Rao, D.-q. & Yang, J. (2019). "Physignathus cocincinus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• "Asian water dragon". Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. 8 September 2017.
• "Chinese Water Dragon". World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2012.

• Hugall, A. F.; Lee, Michael S.Y. (2004-07-14). "Molecular Claims of Gondwanan Age for Australian Agamid Lizards are Untenable". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 21 (11): 2102–2110. doi:10.1093/molbev/msh219. ISSN 0737-4038. PMID 15297599.
• Chan, Wai-Ho; Lau, Anthony; Martelli, Paolo; Tsang, Danielle; Lee, Wing-Ho; Sung, Yik-Hei (2020-02-27). "Spatial Ecology of the Introduced Chinese Water Dragon Physignathus cocincinus in Hong Kong". Current Herpetology. 39 (1): 55. doi:10.5358/hsj.39.55. ISSN 1345-5834.