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(Pallas, 1814)
(= Agama sanguinolenta (Pallas, 1814); Agama aralensis Lichtenstein, 1823)

Appearance. lizards medium sizes with a slightly flattened body. Dimensions bodies with a tail up to 12 cm; males are somewhat larger than females. Head large and relatively high, has a heart-shaped shape and is sharply delimited from the neck. Eardrum located on the surface, so that there is a clearly defined external auditory meatus. Above the ear there are 2-3 elongated spiny scales. The upper body is covered with uniform, rhomboid, ribbed, overlapping scales. Lateral, thoracic and ventral scales with blunt ribs, while throat scales are smooth or with underdeveloped ribs. Ribbed tail scales are arranged in oblique rows that do not form transverse rings:

Upper tail scales of agamas:
1 - Himalayan agama (Laudakia himalayana), 2 - Caucasian agama (Laudakia caucasia), 3 - Khorasan agama (Laudakia erythrogastra), 4 - Turkestan agama (Laudakia lehmanni) and 5 - steppe agama

Fingers almost round. The fourth toe on the hind limbs is longer than the third.

Coloring. The upper side of the body is gray or yellowish-gray, the underside is white. Juveniles have one row of light gray more or less oval spots along the spine, continuing to the base of the tail, and two rows of elongated spots of the same color on the sides of the body; between the spots of two adjacent rows there are larger dark brown or dark gray spots. Unsharp dark spots are visible on the upper side of the legs and on the tail. transverse stripes. With the onset of sexual maturity in males, dark spots almost disappear, and light gray ones darken; in females, the juvenile pattern is generally preserved. The color of the body can change under the influence of temperature or depending on the physiological state of the animal, while demonstrating sexual dimorphism. In males, when excited, the throat, body sides, belly and limbs become dark blue or black-blue, cobalt blue spots appear on the back, while the tail becomes bright yellow or orange-yellow. Under the same conditions, the general background of the body of the female becomes bluish or greenish-yellow, the spots on the back become orange or rusty-orange, and the tail takes on the same color as in males, but less bright.

Spreading. The species is distributed in the deserts and semi-deserts of the eastern Ciscaucasia, Central Asia and Kazakhstan, as well as in northern and northeastern Iran, in northern Afghanistan, and on the eastern border of its range it also penetrates into northwestern China. In Central Asia, the northern border of the range runs somewhat south of the line of the Emba River from the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, goes around the Mugodzhar mountains from the south, and through the lower reaches of the Turgay and the valley of the middle reaches of the Sarysu river descends to the northern coast of Balkhash, further reaching the foothills of Tarbagatai. Along the river valleys it penetrates into the foothills of the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay, meeting in the vicinity of the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan and Chubek in southwestern Tajikistan.

Systematics of the species. In the eastern Ciscaucasia, isolated from the main range within Chechnya, Dagestan and the Stavropol Territory, the nominative subspecies is widespread. Trapelus sanguinolentus sanguinolentus, and the rest of the vast range of the species is inhabited by the East Caspian subspecies Trapelus sanguinolentus aralensis Lichtenstein, 1823.

Habitat. It lives in sandy, clayey and stony deserts and semi-deserts, preferring areas with shrub or semi-woody vegetation, as well as on gentle rocky slopes in the foothills at an altitude of up to 1200 m above sea level, along the outskirts of loosely fixed sands, along river banks and in riparian forests. The northern border of the range quite clearly correlates with the northern border of the desert zone, going beyond its limits only in the eastern Ciscaucasia.

Like other species with such a vast range, the steppe agama has a shift in biotopic preference, while in the isolated western part of its range, the agama is confined only to sandy soils, while in the Asian part it is one of the most eurytopic reptile species. Does not avoid the proximity of a person, settling on the outskirts settlements and along roadsides. It uses burrows of gerbils, ground squirrels, jerboas, hedgehogs, turtles, voids under stones and cracks in the soil as shelters.

Activity. In the hot time of the day, agamas often climb the branches of shrubs, thus protecting themselves from overheating on the soil heated by the sun. From here, sexually mature males survey their individual territory, protecting it from the intrusion of competitors. In the eastern Karakum, agamas spend the night on the bushes quite often. Under optimal conditions, a very high number is observed, up to 10 individuals per 1 ha. After wintering in different parts of the range and depending on the climatic conditions of the year, they appear in late February - March - early April.

Reproduction. Agamas begin to breed after the second wintering at the age of about two years. Pairing in southern Kazakhstan it lasts from the beginning of April to May. First laying eggs in southern Turkmenistan occurs already in late April - early May. Depending on age, the female lays 4-18 eggs size 9-13 x 18-21 mm per season, 2-3 clutches are possible. The eggs are laid in a burrow or in a cone-shaped hole dug by the female. Young size 80-100 mm (with a tail) appear from the second half of June until late autumn.

Nutrition. The basis of nutrition is insects, they also feed on spiders, centipedes and, to a small extent, plant foods.

Similar types. It is well distinguished from other agamas by its bright color; from mountain agamas - the absence of a ringed tail; from the ruin agama - uniform scales of the upper surface of the body and larger sizes. It differs from round heads by the presence of an external ear hole.

Ecological Center "Ecosystem" purchase color identification table " Amphibians and reptiles of central Russia"and a computer determinant of reptiles (reptiles) of Russia and the USSR, as well as other methodological materials on animals and plants of Russia(see below).

On our website you can also find information on anatomy, morphology and ecology of reptiles: general characteristics of reptiles, integument, movement, and skeleton of reptiles, digestive organs and nutrition, respiratory organs and gas exchange, circulatory system and blood circulation, excretory organs and water-salt metabolism,

This family of lizards, very colorful in appearance and lifestyle, has over 300 species. They are distributed throughout the warm and temperate regions of the world, excluding the island of Madagascar. Among them are observed as tree forms with a slender, laterally compressed body and long legs, and short-legged terrestrial species with a noticeably flattened body. Their tail is long, with few exceptions, not brittle. The eyes are well developed, with a round pupil. The fauna of the CIS is home to 15 species of this family.

Agama steppe.
This is the most numerous species of lizards inhabiting semi-deserts and deserts of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, semi-deserts in the Northern Caspian Sea.
Steppe agama - lizard medium size, body length is usually 11-12 cm, males are larger than females. The head is large and heart-shaped. The tail is rounded, gradually tapering towards the end. The general coloration of the upper body is light yellow, the underside is light gray to white. Color changes with age. When the temperature rises or under the influence nervous tension the modest coloration of adult agamas is amazingly transformed. In males, first the throat, then the sides of the body, then the bottom, and lastly the legs become dark blue. They have bright blue spots on their backs, and their tails turn a fiery yellow with dark rings. In the female, the “recoloration” is of a slightly different type: the general color of the body becomes bluish or greenish yellow. Dorsal spots become bright orange. Dwells in the most different places with sparse vegetation, loose sand avoids. Hiding in burrows, cracks and voids between stones. Deftly climbs low trees and dry grasses. Males of the steppe and many other species of agamas zealously protect once chosen area from the encroachments of other males. In nature, another male wandering by chance usually runs away without fighting. In a terrarium, two adult males will never get along peacefully, so they need to be seated immediately. The agama runs deftly and quickly, keeping the body elevated above the ground and not touching the ground with its tail.
Better conditions for willingly running agamas, they are obtained in a spacious dry horizontal type terrarium with lighting and good heating up to 35 ° C during the day. But the steppe agama lives at a daytime temperature of 28 ° C. At night the temperature should be 5-10°C lower. The soil is periodically moistened from below. Dry branches are installed in the terrarium. The food is common for lizards, but the adult steppe agama, in addition, eats the juicy pulp of many fruits and vegetables. Mating takes place in spring months. The female, starting from mid-spring, lays 3-20 eggs in total two or three times. At a temperature of 25-30°C, incubation takes 48-50 days. Hatched lizards have an interesting coloration that is different from adults. The initial size of juveniles is 3-4 cm.

Agama Caucasian.
Distributed in many places of the Caucasus, as well as mountainous areas Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. The Caucasian agama, unlike the steppe agama, represents another group - mountain agamas. The Caucasian agama lives on dry rocky, clay or limestone slopes or in blocks of stones with sparse vegetation. This agama is a real mountain animal. The dimensions are relatively large, the length of the body and tail together is 20-23 cm. Its typical color is relatively modest, olive-gray-brown tones prevail, a net pattern of dark stains and lines usually runs along the sides of the back. It is characteristic that, both in nature and in terrariums, the general color of the Caucasian agama depends on the color of the soil. The blacker the litter, the darker, up to jet black with a brownish sheen, the agamas become.
These agamas are also kept in horizontal terrariums. The air is dry, warm; 25-30°C during the day and 15-20°C at night. In the terrarium, stones are laid with slots for hiding lizards. They also provide a "hot spot" with a temperature of 40-45 ° C, here from time to time agamas appear for additional heating. Food, as for the previous species. If breeding is planned, during the winter months the temperature is lowered by 10-15 ° C. Mating takes place in the spring months. During the season (May-June), the female lays 4-14 eggs. At a temperature of 30 ° C, incubation takes place in 45-55 days.
Agamas, like many other lizards, are shy creatures. Mountain agamas, including the Caucasian, at the slightest danger quickly clog into the tightest gaps between the stones. When you try to pull them out, they inflate the body and rest with all their might. With a strong panic, the agama is so clogged into uncomfortable cracks that it is often not able to get back out. This should also be taken into account when laying stones in the terrarium, avoiding the formation of cracks - "traps" and at the same time - rolling stones.

Round-eared.
This is the most characteristic lizard sandy deserts and semi-deserts in the south of the lower Volga region, Central Asia and Kazakhstan.
Representatives of the round-headed genus, and there are only about 40 species of them, differ from other agamids in a short head rounded in front, a wide flattened body and a relatively short tail flattened at the base and capable of twisting onto the back. The round-eared roundhead got its name because of the two skin folds with fringed edges located at the corners of the mouth. The color of the roundhead is in harmony with the color of the soil where it lives. Above it is sandy in color with a grayish and yellowish coating, against which there is a thin mesh pattern of spots, lines, dashes. The underparts are milky white with a dark spot on the chest. The tip of the tail is black below. The round-eared roundhead is the largest representative of this genus, its total length (including the tail) reaches 24 cm.
In cases of danger and the impossibility of escaping, the eared roundhead assumes a “terrible” frightening pose: spreads its legs wide, inflates and strains the whole body, at the same time opens its mouth wide, while the “ears” open, the mucous membranes become filled with blood and become bright red. In the course of intimidation, she nervously trembles, and even bounces. But if the predator is not afraid of this, the roundhead burrows into the sand with quick movements of the tail and body. In general, the roundhead loves to burrow into the sand when different situations: overnight, in extreme heat, etc.
Roundheads are kept in spacious terrariums with fine sandy soil, poured in a layer of 10-20 cm. Relative Humidity air 20-30%, temperature during the day 28-30°С, at night 22-24°С, on "hot patches" - up to 38°С. Wetting the sand from below. Like all desert lizards, the round-eared lizard loves intense lighting. Roundheads are fed with insects and their larvae. Mating takes place from May to mid-summer. Oviposition is usually two times, each with 2-6 eggs. Eggs are laid in the depths of the mink or in wet sand. At a temperature of 30 ° C, incubation takes place in 40-50 days.
In the same terrarium conditions, you can also keep a round-headed takyr, a small lizard that lives in natural conditions Caspian Sea, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan.
In a terrarium for this species, the soil should consist of a mixture of clay, sand and gravel.

African and Indian spiketails.
You can’t call these vegetarians especially beautiful (the main color of their skin is gray of various shades; yellowish, green or blue peas bring some revival to the coloring of their skin), but they have a very original, friendly character, which shows that their fear-inducing appearance is only just deceit. In the wild, they defend themselves from enemies with the help of a tail with spines and powerful jaws, but, being under the protection of a person, they lose their already not pronounced fighting qualities. They become gullible and allow their caregiver to pet and hand feed them.
Yellow dandelions are its main plant food. Lettuce, clover, pieces of apples, pears, tomatoes, coarsely grated carrots, rice and millet also belong to his diet. They are very susceptible to additives of animal origin, since we must not forget that in early age they had a jaw adapted for chewing insects, which eventually transformed to chew green food, but remained, surprisingly, just as strong. For example, he chews dry peas without any effort.
Thorntails should live in a spacious, heated terrarium. A heated floor is a must for such a terrarium, as spinetails are desert dwellers. In addition, an infrared emitter is also needed. The heating must be turned off at night, as the days are hot and cool nights correspond natural conditions his habitat.
Internal equipment the terrarium should be a very simple thick layer of sand mixed with stones and pebbles, in which the agamas are happy to build sand towers.

Practical work No. 1

"The study of the adaptability of organisms to the environment"
Goal of the work: consider the adaptability of organisms to the environment using specific examples.

Equipment: table depicting various types of insect limbs, images of animals from the same genus, sources additional information, determinants or identification cards.
Progress


  1. Consider Various types limbs of insects (running, jumping, swimming, digging). Give examples of insects that have these types of limbs. What is common in their structure? What is different? Explain the reasons for these differences.

  1. Consider the pictures of the animals offered to you. Fill the table.

3. Make a conclusion about the adaptability of specific living organisms to living conditions.

1.
A- running (an limb of an ant)

B- jumping (limb of a grasshopper)

B- digging (limb bear)

G- swimming (limb of a swimming beetle)


The limbs of insects, which are a system of levers movably connected to each other with a large number of degrees of freedom, are capable of various and perfect movements.

The limbs are used to move insects. Differences in the structure of the limbs depend on the diverse specialization of insect life, on environment.

For example: the jumping limb has powerful muscles, the running limbs are longer than the digging limbs.
Agama caucasian
2.

Agama steppe


View

area

Habitat

Body shape and color

claw development

Agama caucasian

Transcaucasia,

Dagestan,

Iran, Iraq, Pakistan,

Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan.


Mountains, rocks, rocky slopes, large boulders.

Color often depends on the background of the environment. It happens olive-gray, dirty-brown, ash-gray. Length up to 36 cm, weight up to 160 g, body, head flattened, heterogeneous scales. Has a long tail.



Agama steppe

Desert and steppe zones of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Northern Iran, etc.

Sandy, clayey, rocky deserts, semi-deserts. They often nest near water.

The color is light gray, with oval spots. Color changes with age. Males are brighter than females.

The length is not more than 30 cm. The scales are uniform, ribbed with spines. Has a long tail.
Agamas have thin fingers with short hooked claws, limbs are equipped with five or more fingers, with the fourth finger longer than the third.

Conclusion: organisms adapt to specific environmental conditions. This can be seen on a specific example of agamas. Means of protection of organisms - camouflage, protective coloration, mimicry, behavioral adaptations and other types of adaptations allow organisms to protect themselves and their offspring.

Agama families; distributed in the steppes and deserts of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Northern Iran to the Eastern Ciscaucasia in the west and Northwestern China in the east. The steppe agama is distinguished by uniform, ribbed scales with pointed spike-like outgrowths, a small ear opening, in the depths of which is located eardrum. The total length does not exceed 30 cm, adult males are noticeably longer than females. Young agamas are light gray above with oval spots running along the ridge and on the sides. Older lizards become gray or yellowish gray in color; dark spots in males almost always disappear. With an increase in temperature or with nervous excitement, the color becomes bright. In males, the throat, lower surface of the body and limbs become black-blue, cobalt-blue spots appear on the back, and the tail becomes a bright orange-yellow color. In females, the main background of the body becomes bluish or greenish-yellow, dark spots on the back are bright orange, and the legs and tail become the same color as in males, but less bright.

The steppe agama inhabits sandy, clay and rocky deserts and semi-deserts, adhering to places with shrub vegetation. It is also found in tugai forests along river banks, often in close proximity to water. Agamas use rodent burrows, spaces under stones and cracks in the ground as shelters. Less often, they dig their own holes between the roots or at the base of stones. They feed on a variety of insects, spiders and woodlice, which they deftly capture with a sticky tongue, as well as succulent parts of plants, flowers. Agamas run very fast, keeping the body elevated on outstretched legs and not touching the ground with their tail. Extremely deftly climb the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes jumping from branch to branch at a distance of up to half a meter. In the villages you can see them running along the vertical surfaces of adobe and stone fences and walls.

The steppe agama is diurnal; do not have the ability to drop their tail. On the site of the male lives one, less often two females. In late April - early May, the female digs a cone-shaped hole 3-5 cm deep in loose soil and lays 5-10 eggs in it. Repeated clutches occur at the end of May and at the end of July. After 50-60 days, young lizards 32-40 mm long hatch from the eggs.

In captivity, steppe agamas are kept in horizontal-type terrariums. Soil - sand with moistening from below. The terrarium must have branches on which the agamas like to sit. General level humidity is low. The temperature of the content is 28–30 ° C during the day and 20–25 ° C at night. Steppe agamas are kept in groups of one male and several females, as males are very pugnacious. They are fed with insects, they are also given apples, oranges, bananas, lettuce and oat sprouts. Mating occurs in March-May. Pregnancy is about 40 days. Starting from April, females lay 4 to 18 eggs in 2–3 batches. Incubation at 27–28 °C lasts 50–52 days.

Panorama "Steppes and semi-deserts"

(Agama sanguinolenta)

STEPPE AGAM (Agama sanguinolenta) is one of the most characteristic lizards of the steppes and deserts of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It differs from other Central Asian representatives of its genus in its homogeneous, ribbed, with pointed spines scales of the body and long tail and a small ear opening, in the depths of which the eardrum is located. The total length of the animal does not exceed 30 cm, and adult males are noticeably longer than females. Young agamas are light gray above with a row of light gray more or less oval spots running along the ridge, extending to the base of the tail, and two rows of the same elongated spots along the sides of the body. With age, the color changes, and adult lizards become gray or yellowish-gray in color, and in males the dark spots often disappear almost completely. With an increase in temperature, and also under the influence of some kind of nervous excitement, the modest coloring of sexually mature agamas gives way to extremely bright colors, and significant color differences between the sexes are found. In males, the throat and the entire lower surface of the body and limbs become dark or even black-blue, cobalt-blue spots appear on the back, and the tail acquires a bright orange-yellow color. Under the same conditions, in females, the main background of the body becomes bluish or greenish-yellow, dark spots on the back become bright rusty-orange, and the legs and tail acquire the same, but less bright, color as in males. The steppe agama inhabits sandy, clay and rocky deserts and semi-deserts, adhering to places with shrub or semi-woody vegetation. It is also found in tugai forests along river banks, often in close proximity to water. As shelters, steppe agamas use rodent burrows, spaces under stones and cracks in the ground. Less often, they dig their own holes, located between the roots or at the base of the stones. They feed on all kinds of insects, spiders and wood lice, as well as the succulent parts of plants, in particular flowers. Of insects, these lizards prefer ants, which they deftly capture with a sticky tongue. Agamas run very fast, keeping the body elevated on outstretched legs and not touching the ground with their tail. Extremely deftly they climb the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes jumping from branch to branch up to a distance of half a meter. In villages, they can be seen running along the vertical surfaces of adobe and stone fences and the walls of buildings. Each adult lizard has a relatively small habitat area, beyond which it very rarely goes. During the breeding season, sexually mature males rise to the upper branches of the bushes, from where the site is clearly visible. When an opponent appears, the owner quickly rolls towards him and puts the alien to flight. On the site of the male lives one, less often two females. In late April - early May, the female digs a cone-shaped hole 3-5 cm deep in loose soil and lays 5-10 eggs in it. Repeated clutches occur at the end of May and at the end of July. After 50-60 days, young lizards 32-40 mm long hatch from the eggs. The steppe agama is widespread in the desert and steppe zones Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Northern Iran to the Eastern Ciscaucasia in the west and Northwestern China in the east.