Southern Tree Agama

© Roger de la Harpe

Name

Southern Tree Agama, Black-necked Agama or Blue-throated Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis)

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Agamidae

Subspecies

It is possible that there are up to six races of subspecies, but this has not been established.

Southern Tree Agama Description

Males measuring 167 mm in length and females 135 mm, this is a large agama. Breeding males are a dull blue in colour on the back. The colour of their spines fade from a bright blue to light yellow from their anterior to posterior. Their broad heads are a bright cobalt blue.

Southern Tree Agama Diet

The southern tree agama feeds mainly on grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles.

Southern Tree Agama Breeding

Females lay five to 14 oval shaped, soft-shelled eggs, which hatch after 90 days. She lays the eggs in a hole, dug in soft, moist ground.

Distribution

The southern tree agama can be found in South Africa on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It can also be found in Lobatse in Eastern Botswana, Ovamboland in Namibia, Ethiopia and throughout Eastern Africa to the north eastern regions of sub-Saharan Africa.