The Asian grass lizard, six-striped long-tailed lizard, or long-tailed grass lizard (Takydromus sexlineatus) is an arboreal, diurnal

Diurnal animal

Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...

 species of lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

. The tail length is usually over three times the body (snout to vent) length in this species.

Males and females are similar, males being distinguishable by the presence of pre-anal pores. On average they grow to around 8 cm (snout-to-vent length), with the addition of a distinctive long tail. Some individuals may have small circular spots on the sides of the bodies.

Like geckos they can drop their tail and grow a new one when attacked.

Appearance

The Long Tailed grass lizard is easily recognized by the long tail. It has a white to cream coloured underbelly with a brown or beige back, often adorned with brown stripes of different shades. It typically has a small head with a sharply pointed snout and black or pink tongue. Its body is slightly elongated and thin with small pointy scales beneath the chin resembling a beard. Some have spots on their flanks.

Distribution

India, China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysian Peninsula, and Indonesia.

Race ocellatus is found in S. China, Hainan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, N Burma, and N Malaysia.

Behavior

These are entirely diurnal lizards that emerge in the early morning to bask in the sun. If a potential predator approaches they will first remain completely still, and then if the danger persists, they will flee to the safety of foliage. Both sexes use arm-waving gestures (similar to a front crawl

Front crawl

The front crawl, forward crawl, or freestyle is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is nearly universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, hence the synonymously used term "freestyle". It is one of two...

 swimming action), apparently to communicate with each other.

Diet

Takydromus sexlineatus feeds on small insects such as flies, In captivity they can be reared on Crickets

Cricket (insect)

Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...

 and like other small lizards may require a calcium substitute. It is advisable in captivity to vary food including mealworms, sterile maggot

Maggot

In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...

s or waxworms in addition to crickets although it is possible to feed them garden caught insects. Unlike some larger reptiles, these lizards have extremely fast reactions and have been observed jumping into the air to catch flying prey such as flies.