Dracaena

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Cladus: Unidentata Episquamata

Subordo: Lacertoidea
Superfamilia: Gymnophthalmoidea

Familia: Teiidae
Subfamilia: Tupinambinae
Genus: Dracaena
Species (2): D. guianensis – D. paraguayensis
Name

Dracaena Daudin, 1801: 421

Type species: Dracaena guianensis Daudin, 1801, by monotypy.

Synonyms

Ada Gray, 1825: 200
Type species: Teius crocodilinus Merrem, 1820, by monotypy.
Thorictis Wagler, 1830: 153
Type species: Dracaena guianensis Daudin, 1801, by monotypy.

References
Primary references

Daudin, F.M. 1801. Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles : ouvrage faisant suite à l'Histoire naturelle générale et particulière, composée par Leclerc de Buffon, et rédigée par C.S. Sonnini. Tome Second. L'Imprimerie de F. Dufart: Paris. 432 pp. + pls. XVI–XXVIII. BHL Reference page.
Gray, J.E. 1825. A synopsis of the genera of reptiles and Amphibia, with a description of some new species. Annals of Philosophy 10: 193–217. BHL Reference page.
Wagler, J.G. 1830. Natürliches System der Amphibien, mit vorangehender Classification der Säugetiere und Vögel. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung: München, Stuttgart, & Tübingen. 354 pp. BHL Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Caiman Lizards
Türkçe: Kaya keleri

The genus Dracaena (romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα - drakaina, "female dragon"[1]), also called caiman lizards or water tegus, is in the teiid family, along with tegus and ameivas.
Taxonomy
Extant species

Listed aphabetically.[2]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Dracaena guianensis Daudin 1802	northern caiman lizard or Guyana caiman lizard	Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil.
	Dracaena paraguayensis Amaral 1950	Paraguayan caiman lizard	Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia.

Fossils

†Paradracaena colombiana Estes 1961 - the Middle Miocene (Laventan) Honda Group, Colombia[3][4]

Description
Juvenile

The caiman lizards are built similarly to their cousins the tegus, with a large, heavyset body and short but powerful limbs. Their heads are bulky and often a red or orange color. Their jaws are heavily muscular to help aid in eating its normal prey of snails, crawfish and fresh water clams. They also have a few adaptations that help them in their watery habitat. They have long, laterally flattened tails, similar to their namesake, the yacare caiman. The long tails help the caiman lizards to successfully swim and dive. They also have clear third eyelids which are thought to act like a pair of goggles underwater.

The coloration of the northern caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis) is very similar to that of a crocodile. It is typically bright green with slight dark green banding. The Paraguayan caiman lizard (Dracaena paraguayensis) is typically much more drab, with a gray body and head. There are tough raised scutes along the dorsal portion of the back. These give the caiman lizards a crocodilian appearance and help to provide some protection against predators. These lizards can become up to 4 ft (1.2 m) long and weigh up to 10 lb (4.5 kg).
Distribution and habitat

Caiman lizards are found in South America in Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil. These semiaquatic lizards spend a lot of time in the water and inhabit marshes, streams and flooded forests. Caiman lizards often bask on branches overhanging the water.
Captivity
Specimen on display at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C.

Caiman lizards are kept in private collections, but they are not yet kept in large numbers due to their tendency to only accept snails and their high price. Additionally, caiman lizards are arboreal, aquatic and burrowing, so suitable enclosures are usually only made by zoos. Caiman lizards born in captivity have been known to take a variety of food items, including snails, fish, cat food and crustaceans. Their temperament is comparable to that of a tegu.
References

δράκαινα, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
Dracaena, The Reptile Database
Dracaena colombiana at GBIF

Sullivan & Estes, 1997, p. 102

Bibliography

Reptiles portal

Sullivan, Robert M.; Estes, Richard (1997). "A reassessment of the fossil Tupinambinae". In Kay, R. F.; R. H. Madden; R. L. Cifelli; J. J. Flynn (eds.). Vertebrate Paleontology in the Neotropics: The Miocene Fauna of La Venta, Colombia (PDF). Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 100–112. Retrieved 2019-03-21.