Tree Agama | DeWetsWild

In the middle of Satara’s E-circle of bungalows lies a heap of tree stumps; the remains of a long dead Marula tree that has finally collapsed and been cut into sizable chunks by the camp gardeners. But a fierce dragon (actually a male Southern Tree Agama) has taken possession of the ruins, claiming it as his castle.

Male Tree Agama in breeding colours in Satara Rest Camp

Male Tree Agama in breeding colours in Satara Rest Camp (photo by Joubert)

Here’s a photo of the pretty lady he was hoping to attract to his castle…

Female Southern Tree Agama (photo by Joubert)

(Incidentally, this is the 1,500th post published on de Wets Wild!)

Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis

As their name would suggest, the Southern Tree Agama is a mainly arboreal lizard, coming to ground only to move from one tree to another and to feed on ground-living insects. They inhabit open savanna landscapes, especially those dominated by thorn and miombo (Brachystegia) trees, and feed on ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles and other invertebrates. Adults grow to between 12 and 15cm long, excluding the tail. Breeding males are very colourful and not nearly as well camouflaged as the females, non-breeding males and young.

Southern Tree Agamas are diurnal, sleeping at night in hollow trunks or under loose bark. Males are territorial and will fight each other viciously. Their breeding season spans spring and summer, when females dig a hole in moist soil in which they lay between 5 and 14 eggs that hatch in about 3 months.

The Southern Tree Agama occurs patchily from eastern Africa southwards to South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The IUCN considers this species of least concern. In South Africa they are commonly encountered in the provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and nothern Kwazulu-Natal. They are very tolerant of humans and is a common sight in the rest camps of the Kruger National Park.