Agama Lizard
Facts On The Agama Lizard
In Africa, the most common type of lizard is the agama lizard. The red headed rock agama lizard is possibly the most well know of all the species and most agamas are considered small. They can be as little as 5 inches and they can also reach a full foot in length. They have very long tails and they consume insects. There are 37 different species of the agama lizard.
Originally, these creatures lived in the forest and enjoyed being in the bush. But because these favorite places are being slowly removed by land developers, the agama lizard has become accustomed to living around humans. They live inside of huts and other buildings and they hide anywhere they can. They will only come out to find food. If they are discovered by an animal or a human, they will run very quickly on their back legs to a safe place.
The agama lizard hunts for food during the daytime. Although they are not bothered by higher temperatures, they do seek shade when the temperature goes over 100 degrees. They stay in the shade until the temperature goes back to normal.
A male agama lizard can have as many as 6 females to breed with. They are polygamous animals and this means they can have many partners throughout their lifetime. To initiate breeding, the female may expose her hind quarters and run away from the male. The males usually bob their heads up and down to court the females. If another male enters the breeding ground, there will normally be a fight. They will either hit each other with their tails or open their jaws and attempt to bite the opponent. Before the fight, the two lizards will bob and weave making movements to try and scare each other. The female agama lizard will sometimes fight also. Breeding season comes around March and lasts until late May.
This type of lizard eats insects. The teeth cut and chew the prey easily because the front incisors are designed to do this. They like Beatles, grasshoppers or ants but they can also eat other types of things when prey isn’t present. They can live on berries or grass but they can also rob the eggs of smaller lizards that are unable to defend themselves. The agama lizard has a sticky tongue, which makes it easy to capture the prey.
When you hear a person refer to a lizard as a rainbow lizard, they are referring to an agama lizard. Most every agama is a green to brown color but the males are able to change their colors at will. They can do this while fighting or trying to show off for the females. The males turn their bodies a blue color and the head and partial stomach is red or yellow. This trait sets them apart from other types of lizards. If the male and his females are sunning themselves on rocks, the dominant male will place himself over the top of the group and expose his bright colors.
The agama lizard lives all over east Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya but they are available in pet stores and they are popular pets with people who love reptiles. If you were thinking about getting an agama lizard, you should learn how to keep it healthy and happy. Make sure to give it a heat source and to avoid fighting, never place two or more male agama lizards in the cage at once. These lizards are not poisonous but they do have a painful bite. So you and your family should be careful with the creature while handling it.