Acanthosaura cardamomensis

Acanthosaura cardamomensis is a mountain horned dragon described in 2010 after study showed that Cardamom-region animals previously confused with related pricklenapes represented a distinct species. Like other members of its genus, it is a spiny, cryptically coloured forest agama adapted for climbing low vegetation. Its name refers to the Cardamom Mountains, and Vietnamese occurrence was documented after the original description (Wood et al. 2010; Reptile Database; Wikipedia).

The known range covers eastern Thailand, western Cambodia and Vietnam. It inhabits primary and secondary hill evergreen forest and also uses forest edge. Field records include animals active by day and sleeping at night on ferns, saplings or vines, from leaf litter level to about two metres above ground, often near streams. Its feeding is not well quantified, but the species is an invertebrate predator consistent with other Acanthosaura (IUCN habitat account; general Acanthosaura ecology).