Description: Its size varies from 13 to 5.1 to 11.8 inches in total length. Males are typically 3.0 to 4.7 inches longer than the average female. The agama lizard can be identified by having a white underside, brown back limbs and a tail with a light stripe down the middle. The stripe on the tail typically possesses about six to seven dark patches along its side. Females, adolescents and subordinate males have an olive green head, while a dominant male has a blue body and yellow tail.
Habitat: Habitat in Florida consts of rock piles, buildings , and trees in disturbed areas; it is not known to occupy natural areas. Agama agama is well-suited to arid conditions. These lizards remain active throughout the day except for the hottest hour, when even shady spots can reach 100 ℉.
Behavior:
Male agamas are territorial and must fight other males to claim their space. Agamas live in social groups including a lead male, about half a dozen females, and subordinate males. Subordinate males can only gain their own group if they eliminate the existing lead male (the "cock") or establish a colony outside all other cocks' territory. Only the cock is allowed to mate with the females. The center of a cock's territory is usually marked by the presence of a physical object, such as a tree or boulder, on which the lizards congregate. In urban areas, fights between males are more common because space is at a higher premium.
Range: The common agama can be found native in countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, India and Madagascar. However, it has been introduced through the reptile trade to southern Florida, where it has become extremely common.
Diet: Common agamas are primarily insectivores, but they have been known to eat small mammals, reptiles and vegetation such as flowers, grasses, and fruits. Their diet consists of mainly ants, grasshoppers, beetles and termites. They catch their prey using their tongue, the tip of which is covered by mucous glands that enable the lizard to hold to smaller prey.
Reproduction: Females are sexually matured at 14–18 months, while males take 2 years. Agama agama tends to reproduce during the wet season, but can also reproduce in areas that receive constant rainfall. After fertilization and when she is ready, the female will dig a hole 2 inches deep with her snout and claws in sandy, wet/damp soil that is covered with grasses or other plants and which receives sunlight during most of the day. Once finished, the female will lay a clutch of 5–7 ellipsoidal eggs that hatch within a period of 8–10 weeks.
Common agama has thermoregulated embryos, so all male eggs will have a temperature of 84 ℉ while female eggs will be in the range 79–81 ℉. After hatching, the offspring will measure about 1.5 inches snout to vent, plus their 3.0 inches tail.
Status: Species of Least Concerned. Introduced into the United States (Florida)
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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