The Grassland Earless Dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla (Mitchell 1948), is a small lizard of the family Agamidae. Earless dragons (only part of the genus Tympanocryptis as currently recognised - see Cogger 1992) differ from other members of the family by lacking an external ear opening and functional tympanum (ear drum). Adult T. pinguicolla range in size from 50-70 mm snout-vent length (SVL), with a head to tail length generally less than 150 mm. The adults have stout bodies and short robust legs, with a body mass between five and nine grams. The main morphological differences separating T. pinguicolla from its congeners are the greater number of mid-dorsal scales, and the greater number of scattered, enlarged, spinous dorsal scales which are also higher than wide (Mitchell 1948, Smith et al. 1999).

Tympanocryptis pinguicolla is light to dark brown dorsally, with three thin white lines running the length of the body (similar to T. lineata lineata), which separate darker transverse patches into individual segments. Some individuals have yellow or orange colouration on the throat, sides of the head, flanks, or legs. Such colouration has been suggested to be male reproductive colours (Jenkins and Bartell 1980), although even juveniles have been observed to have such colours. Significantly more adult males do display these colours than females, and the distribution of the coloured areas may also vary between sexes and among age classes (Langston 1996). Individuals can vary in darkness (light to dark brown) in captivity (PR personal observation), suggesting that the integument is capable of melanic changes in association with background or environmental conditions.

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