), Mali, Guinea (Conakry), Burkina Faso, Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, S Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Morocco but it extends south to Western Sahara and east into eastern Algeria, Kenya; Tanzania, United Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, E Botswana, SW Tanzania, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Fernando Poo (Bioko Island), Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, E Zimbabwe, N Nigeria, N Cameroon, Mali, Central African Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, probably in W Chad (L. Chirio, pers. The word was brought to Dutch Guiana (modern Suriname) by imported West African slaves and was then used in local creole languages for types of local lizards. A Molecular Study of the Genus. They can tolerate higher temperatures than most reptiles, but when temperatures approach 38 °C (100 °F) they generally shelter in the shade. Agamas are mainly insectivorous, hunting prey by sight and snatching it opportunistically. Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Agama.
The genus Agama includes at least 37 species in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where most regions are home to at least one species. comm. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. [7] However, it has been introduced through the reptile trade to southern Florida, where it has become extremely common. [1], Agamas are diurnal, active during the day.
He noted that the name agama was used by inhabitants of Guiana for a species that he included in the genus Agama. Agama definition, any of numerous agamid lizards of the genus Agama, many of which are brilliantly colored and have the ability to change the color of the skin. If that is insufficient, they lash their tails and threaten each other with open jaws. Burton, Maurice and Robert Burton. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agama_(lizard)&oldid=979712199, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, S Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Swaziland, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone ?, Guinea, red-headed rock agama, common agama, rainbow agama, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Madagascar, S Congo (Brazzaville), Angola, Namibia, Republic of South Africa (NW Cape), Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), southwestern Kenya, and central Tanzania, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Central African Republic to Eritrea and Ethiopia, N Cameroon, Sudan, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, probably in Chad (L. Chirio, pers. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Chad, Ghana, Guinea (Conakry), Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Ivory Coast. [10], Females are sexually matured at 14–18 months, while males take 2 years. agama synonyms, agama pronunciation, agama translation, English dictionary definition of agama. ) (2009) [8] designated a neotype (ZFMK 15222), using a previously described specimen from Cameroon in the collection of the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. Their colour also differs between species, between genders, and according to mood; for example, a dominant male in display mode is far brighter than when it has been caught, beaten by another male, or otherwise alarmed.