#agamidae

[herpsandbirds]

Pondichéry Fan-throated Lizard (Sitana ponticeriana), male, being quite the little dandy, family Agamidae, Eastern India

photograph by Ratnakar Hiremath

#fan throated lizard #sitana #lizard #reptile #agamidae #herpetology #asia #india #animals #nature

[snototter]

A male common agama (Agama agama) basking on a rock in Cameroon, Africa

by Bernard Dupont

#common agama #agamas #lizards #reptiles #agama agama #agama #agamidae #squamata #reptilia #chordata #wildlife: africa #wildlife: cameroon

[uncharismatic-fauna]

恭喜发财! It's the year of the dragon, which is great news for the Chinese water dragon. Adults can be quite large, reaching up to 90 cm (3 feet) in length, and as their name implies they are adept swimmers and can spend up to 25 minutes underwater!

(Image: A Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) by Paul McKenzie via iNaturalist)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a kofi!

#chinese water dragon #Squamata #Agamidae #dragon lizards #lizards #squamates #reptiles #uncharismatic facts

[birdblues]

Pondichéry Fan-throated Lizard

#pondichéry fan throated lizard #fan throated lizard #lizard #Sitana ponticeriana #Reptilia #Squamata #Iguania #Agamidae #Sitana #upl

[coffeenuts]

#IFTTT #Flickr #agamidae #animal #fauna #southeastasia #dragon #reptile #wildlife #lizard #sarawak #malaysia #borneo #tropical #reptilia #sauria #squamata #eastmalaysia #agamid #angleheadedlizard #gonocephalus #draconinae

[colorsoutofearth]

Agama (Agama agama) male

Photo by Denis Huot

#agama #agama agama #common agama #red-headed rock agama #rainbow agama #lizard #reptiles #agamidae #african lizards #desert lizard #desert animals #blue #blue lizards #animals #wildlife #nature

[terranlifeform]

Ring-tailed dragon (Ctenophorus caudicinctus) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Jordan Vos

#Ctenophorus caudicinctus #Agamidae #reptiles

[rattyexplores]

Photos 1-2 - Specimen 1

Photos 3-4 - Specimen 2

Water Dragons relaxing at the botanical gardens.

25/03/23 - Intellagama lesueurii

NSW:SB - Wollongong, botanical gardens

#Intellagama lesueurii #Australian Water Dragon #Dragons #Agamidae #Sauria #Lizards #Reptilia #Reptiles #Vertebrata #Vertebrates #Chordata #Chordates

[ningauinerd]

Everyone knows and loves thorny devils (Moloch horridus), spines and all, but I think most people are unaware of their peculiar and highly elusive sister species, the chameleon dragon (Chelosania brunnea).

(Image credit: The Reptile Database)

Named after their laterally compressed body, extendable dewlap and funnel-like eyes that give them some resemblance to the true chameleons of Afro-Eurasia, the chameleon dragon occurs widely in the monsoonal savanna woodlands of northern Australia in the Kimberley and Top End (as well as a tiny part of north-western Queensland). They are quite rarely observed and little is currently known about their ecology or behaviour, but this is likely due to their highly arboreal nature and they may actually be more common than records suggest.

At first glace, the chameleon dragon doesn't share a great deal of resemblance to the thorny devil, but some similarities begin to appear on closer examination. One of the most obvious links is their diet - thorny devils are well known for being specialised for feeding on small black ants, and the chameleon dragon, despite its drastically different appearance and lifestyle, appears to have a similar diet. While a lot less is known about the diet of chameleon dragons, they may also be ant specialists and have been recorded feeding on green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), a species that is particularly common in the treetops they inhabit.

(Image credit: Colin Trainor & Gunter Maywald)

As a matter of fact, genetics indicate that the thorny devil and chameleon dragon are not only each other's closest living relatives, but also that they form their own distinct clade amongst Australian dryland agamids. The majority of Australian dragons are part of a single evolutionary radiation that diversified as the continent began to dry out in the mid-Miocene, with most exceptions being basal wet forest genera like forest dragons (Lophosaurus) and the Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii). However, the thorny devil and chameleon dragon appear to be the only living members of a more ancient, basal agamid lineage that colonised dry environments independently of the recent large radiation.

As a testament to how much we still have to learn about this fascinating species, it was only in 2020 that a study (linked in the image credit below) found significant sexual dimorphism in regards to colour in chameleon dragons, with males being grey while females are yellow. This same study also published the first evidence of the species using tree hollows and the nests of arboreal termites as shelter sites. Due to the lack of data they are currently considered Data Deficient by the IUCN, but they may be threatened by altered fire regimes and feral cats.

Males above, females below (Image credit: Laive & Jolly 2020)

Gonna be posting infodumps like this on Australian/Oceanian species I feel compelled to share fun facts on for whatever reason

#australian wildlife #wildlife #reptiles #lizards #agamidae #thorny devil #chameleon dragon #animal facts #herpetology #natural history #infodumps #my stuff

[lizardsdaily]

🦎 Mountain Horned Dragon - Acanthosaura capra 

📷 Montri Sumontha

#daily lizard #lizards #reptiles #herpetofauna #herpetology #mountain horned dragon #horned dragon #acanthosaura #acanthosaura capra #agamidae

[herpsandbirds]

Common Butterfly Lizard (Leiolepis belliana), mother with pups, family Agamidae, found in SE Asia

photographs by Fahad Malik

#butterfly lizard #leiolepis #agamidae #lizard #reptile #herpetology #asia #animals #nature

[snototter]

A Moroccan uromastyx (Uromastyx nigriventris) perches on a rock in Morocco

by Fernando Iglesias

#moroccan uromastyx #spiny tailed lizards #agamas #lizards #reptiles #uromastyx nigriventis #uromastyx #agamidae #squamata #reptilia #chordata #wildlife: morocco

[typhlonectes]

Four new species of the genus Diploderma Hallowell, 1861 (Squamata, Agamidae) from China

Shuo Liu, Mian Hou, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Dingqi Rao

Abstract

Four new species of Diploderma are described from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, southwestern China, based on an integrative taxonomic approach, combining morphological and genetic data...

Read the paper here:

https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/97706/

#lizard #agamidae #reptile #herpetology #science #agama #agamid #nature #animals #china #asia

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Many desert animals have special adaptations that allow them to either find water in extremely dry areas or survive long periods without it. One of the more unusual adaptations is that of the thorny devil lizard. Its skin is covered in microscopic grooves which are able to draw water up out of the ground and transport it directly to the lizard's mouth via capillary action-- the same process that pulls water up into a paper towel.

(Image: A thorny devil (Moloch horridus) pausing for a drink by Christopher Watson)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

#thorny devil lizard #Squamata #Agamidae #dragon lizards #squamates #lizards #reptiles #uncharismatic facts

[birdblues]

Oriental Garden Lizard

#oriental garden lizard #lizard #Calotes versicolor #Reptilia #Squamata #Iguania #Agamidae #Calotes #upl

[coffeenuts]

Dusky earless agama (Aphaniotis fusca) - P4306133 by nickybay https://flic.kr/p/2nofSwr

#IFTTT #Flickr #riflerangeroad #singapore #macro #lizard #aphaniotis #fusca #agamidae #dusky #earless