Saud Randhava kindly sent me a photo of a Yellow-spotted Agama Trapelus flavimaculatus he took recently
and has kindly allowed me to use on my website and is shown below. Copyright
remains with Saus. Yellow-spotted Agama 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.
