Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company
Farm I came across a couple of Blandford's Agama that I took for Yellow-spotted Agama Trapelus flavimaculatus
sunning themselves and displaying on tall acacia trees, showing off their
bright blue throat and belly & orange tail. They are a medium sized lizard
about 30 centimetres in length and are also known as Blue-headed Agama for
obvious reasons. Their tails are very long and thin and make up over half their
body length and they move extremely fast over the ground. The Yellow-spotted
Agama is a common species of lizard found in arid regions of the Middle East
from Egypt: North of the Eastern Desert & Northern Sinai to the Arabian
Peninsula including Saudi Arabia. They are readily distinguished from the Sinai
agama Pseudotrapelus sinaitus by their heavier build, rougher scales and
the presence of a gular sac that is darkened and inflated as a threat display.
The ear opening is smaller and its dorsal margin is partially covered by pointed
scales. In the summer these lizards often sit atop Acacia trees or prominent
rocks as a territorial display and to regulate their temperature. They are
quite aggressive with a mainly carnivorous diet of small insects. Their skin
colour varies from reddish-brown to olive‐green,
and is covered in a pattern of heavy yellowish-white spots. Their tails are
normally pale yellow; however, male Yellow-spotted Agamas have the ability to
go from this drab coloration to something much more vivid and spectacular. The
dull reddish-brownish-green skin turns vivid blue, and the pale yellow tail
glows brilliant flaming orange. Sometimes a male Agama will only change
partially turning just the underside of his head blue, for instance. The colour
change happens in seconds and fades just as quickly. I thank Mansur Al Fahad for kindly pointing me in the right direction with regards to the species involved.
