Black-necked Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis)

They often nod their heads in display and appear to only come to the ground to cross to another tree or high point.They remain shy and wary always keeping a tree trunk or branch between themselves and danger. They can open their mouths wide, revealing an orange colour inside. They are not poisonous. They sleep at night in a hollow branch or unpeeling bark. Breeding males have more massive heads than females, and also develop swollen, scarred tail bases from fighting. The female lays 5-14 oval, soft-shelled eggs (10-21 x 22-28 rnm) in a hole dug in moist soil.

(Reference: B. Branch. A Field Guide to Snakes and other reptiles of Southern Africa. Struik. Cape Town.1998)

Posted on July 24, 2012 03:33 PM by markusdeklerk