Order: Squamata

Family: Agamidae

 

Size:  up to 37 cm in length.

 

Key Features: It has been observed to change colour from green to brown, and this is thought to occur with changing seasons. Breeding male changeable lizards have bright red heads, leading people to call them the common bloodsucker.

 

Breeding: Males become highly territorial during breeding season. They discourage intruding males by brightening their red heads and doing "push-ups". Each tries to attract a female by inflating his throat and drawing attention to his handsomely coloured head. About 10—20 eggs are laid, buried in moist soil. The eggs are long, spindle-shaped and covered with a leathery skin. They hatch in about 6–7 weeks. They are able to breed at about 1 year old.

 

Diet: consists of mainly insects and small vertebrates, including rodents and other lizards.

 

Habitat: relatively common and found in a wide range of habitats. They appear to adapt well to humans and are thus not endangered.

 

Habits: During the breeding season, the male's head and shoulders turns bright orange to crimson and his throat black. Males also turn red-headed after a successful battle with rivals. Both males and females have a crest from the head to nearly the tail, hence their other common name "Crested Tree Lizard".

 

Conservation Status: Not listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Asana, J. 1931 The natural history of Calotes versicolor, the common blood sucker. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 34: 1041-1047.

 

Devasahayam, S., and Anita Devasahayam. 1989. A peculiar food habit of the garden lizard Calotes versicolor(Daudin). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 86:253.

 

Wildlife at Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, by Ria TanTiwaru, Manjula;Schiavina, Aurofilio 1990 Biology of the Indian garden lizard, Calotes versicolor (Daudin). Part I: Morphometrics Hamadryad 15: 30-33

 

Waltner, R.C. 1975 Geographical and altitudinal distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the Himalayas Cheetal (Dehra Dun, India) 16(1): 17-25; 16(2): 28-36; 16(3): 14-19; 16(4): 12-17.

 

Photo Courtesy

Sandeep, Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons