Diet plays a role in the colour of frill-necked lizards »

Researchers at ANU have found frill-necked lizards have different coloured frills, depending on where they live and what they eat. The colour of the frill on the lizards varies from red, orange, yellow and white. "We found that individuals with a red or orange frill found in western populations in the Kimberley and Top End had more colour pigments in their frill than lizards with a yellow or white frill found in Queensland," said lead author Dr Thomas Merkling from the ANU Research School of Biology. The research solves a mystery of how the lizards get their colours. Most previous studies have focused on the role of colouration in lizards. Dr Merkling said the colour differences were due to variations in concentrations of two types of pigments. The lizards obtain one pigment from their food and can synthesise the other directly in their cells.