---
title: "Asian Water Dragon"
description: "Physignathus cocincinus — Reptiles. Physignathus cocincinus is a species of agamid lizard native to southern China and mainland Southeast Asia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/asian-water-dragon
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Asian Water Dragon

> Physignathus cocincinus — Reptiles. Physignathus cocincinus is a species of agamid lizard native to southern China and mainland Southeast Asia.

- Scientific name: *Physignathus cocincinus*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers), `zoo` (Zoo & pets)
- iNaturalist observations: 2210
- Wikidata: [Q740576](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q740576)
- iNaturalist taxon: [31424](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/31424)

## Names

- en: Asian Water Dragon
- de: Grüne Wasseragame
- es: Dragón de agua Chino
- nl: Groene wateragame
- pt: Dragão-d'água-chinês
- pl: Agama błotna

## Countries with the most observations

HK (1096), TH (388), VN (199), KH (42), CN (41), LA (7), TW (6)

## Summary

Physignathus cocincinus is a species of agamid lizard native to southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as the Chinese water dragon, Indochinese water dragon, Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, or green water dragon.
Chinese water dragons are large diurnal lizards adapted for dense subtropical forests replete with unpolluted streams. They are semi-arboreal, roosting at night on branches overlooking streams, which offer an escape route when the lizards are disturbed. Arthropods are their main source of food, though worms, snails, vertebrates, and plants make up a notable portion of the…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_water_dragon

## Photo

![Asian Water Dragon](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/asian-water-dragon/medium.jpg)

Photo: Matej Otruba · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139477144

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/asian-water-dragon?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).