Southern rock agama

Appearance

This rather sociable agama is normally found in small groups or colonies. It grows up to about 25 cm and has a thin dorsal crest that runs the length of its body. It typically has a short, plump body and a thin tail, with a triangular head. During the breeding season, the heads of the males become bright blue. The males also take to sitting on top of prominent rocks and are therefore a common sight in mountainous areas of South Africa. The females and young are a more uniform greyish-brown and are much more shy.

These active, diurnal lizards normally hunt small insects such as ants and termites. They sometimes adjust to living near urban areas and can even live in rocky gardens. However, the increasingly dense populations of domestic cats being kept as pets in suburban areas have unfortunately led to a decline in population, as these introduced predators tend to kill all the agamas in the immediate area. "Agama atra"s natural predators in the wild include the fiscal shrike and various snakes.

"A. atra" has some ability to change colour, although not to the same extent as chameleons, of which the Agamidae are a sister group. When a male agama in breeding colouration is approached by a potential predator, it will lie flat against a rock and lose the intense breeding colours in favour of more cryptic colouration.

The natural range of this species is almost entirely confined to the borders of South Africa and Lesotho.