Agama Caucasian habitat. Steppe agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus). Agama Caucasian: body shape and coloring

In Kopet-Dag and in small ridges of the same mountain system Kuren-Dag of the Big and Small Balkhan, as well as in the rocks of the south of Karabil, lives the most numerous and noticeable lizard of these places - Caucasian agama.

The size of its body reaches 160 mm, the tail is slightly longer, its weight is up to 150 g. The head and body are strongly flattened. The scales on the back are varied. A path of five or hexagonal scales, smooth or slightly ribbed, runs along the center of the back. These agamas are olive-brown or olive-gray in color with small black or yellowish spots, and the underside of the body is darkish-gray with a marbled pattern on the throat; in females, the belly is pinkish-yellow; in males, during the mating period, it is blackish-bluish.

This agama is widespread in the Caucasus Mountains, North-Eastern Turkey, Balochistan, Afghanistan and Southern Turkmenistan.

The Caucasian agama is a true mountain lizard, choosing rocks and rocky slopes with sparse vegetation and an abundance of debris for its habitat. rocks. Sometimes it settles in drying sai. Cracks and crevices between stones provide shelter. Agamas run and jump very well. Running across open space, they raise their tail, and when climbing rocks, they press it tightly against the stone, using the prickly tail spines as support.

Caucasian agamas leave for wintering in November, after wintering they appear at the end of February, in March. In early spring And in the fall, agamas are active in the middle of the day, and in the summer - in the morning and evening hours. IN summer days they come out of their shelters at sunrise. Climbing onto a stone or rock ledge, they spend hours looking for prey. Noticing it, the agama quickly moves towards the prey and unerringly grabs it. In addition to animal food, these lizards willingly eat leaves and seeds of labiates and cruciferous plants.

In late May - early June, females lay eggs. Their average dimensions are 22X13 mm. Newborns appear in August-September. At the age of two years they become sexually mature.

Among the enemies of the Caucasian agama are the multi-colored and red-striped snakes, the Central Asian cobra, the viper, and the black kite. A case of cannibalism has been reported. Lizards moult from March to June.

The Caucasian agama brings certain benefits to mountain pastures, destroying vegetation pests: beetles (weevils, leaf beetles, darkling beetles), ants, bees, wasps, bumblebees, locusts, bedbugs, termites, butterfly caterpillars. Thus, in the mountains of Turkmenistan, among the invertebrate animals eaten by this lizard, 1199 specimens were harmful, 792 specimens were neutral, and only 211 were beneficial.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

The Caucasian agama is a lizard belonging to the genus of Asian mountain agamas, which is quite large in size.

The length of her body reaches 15 centimeters, excluding the tail, and the tail is 2 times longer than body.

The Caucasian agama is larger than the steppe, its body shape is flattened. The body is covered with heterogeneous scales: they are large and small. The shape of the scales is ribbed and awl-shaped. The skin on the sides of the head and neck is covered with large conical scales. The eardrum is located on the surface of the head, and in the steppe lizard it is located in a recess. The scales on the tail are arranged in rings, each two rings forming a distinct segment.

The upper part of the body is gray and brown. In general, the color depends on the habitat: if the Caucasian agama lives in rocky areas, then its color is ash-gray, if it lives on red sandstones, its color is reddish-brown, and if it lives on basalts, then its color is brown, almost black. The belly is covered with smooth scales of cream or light gray color. The head is decorated with a dark marble pattern. The young animals have a clearly defined color pattern consisting of transverse stripes of light and dark color.

Where does the Caucasian agama live?

Representatives of the species live in the eastern part of the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and the south Central Asia. Characteristic habitat Caucasian lizards are mountains. They live in gorges, on rocks and on boulders. In addition, they climb into various human buildings and structures.

Although outwardly these lizards look clumsy, they move deftly among stones. They have developed claws, which help the agama to easily hold onto vertical walls, steep slopes and smooth stones. These lizards are good at jumping from one stone to another at a distance of up to 40 centimeters. Sometimes Caucasian agaves crawl onto bushes and trees. They hide from danger in crevices between stones and cracks in rocks.

The population of these lizards is quite large, so they regularly catch the eye of people. The Caucasian agama, like the steppe one, chooses various elevations as observation points - rocks and steep slopes, from which it surveys the surrounding area.

Agama lifestyle

If the Caucasian agama is in danger, it immediately rushes to the shelter, while it camouflages itself among the stones located at its entrance. If the enemy still pursues the lizard, it climbs into cover. Inside it swells, the scales catch on the wall of the shelter, so it is extremely difficult to pull it out.

Males make sure that strangers do not invade their territory. To do this, they position themselves in an observation post and periodically squat on their front legs. If another male enters the territory, its owner rushes at the stranger. Most often, as a result of such attacks, the unexpected guest takes flight. From 1 to 4 females constantly live on the males’ property. And the male regularly contacts them, even outside the breeding season.

During courtship, Caucasian agaves exhibit individual characteristics that are not characteristic of other lizards. For example, the male places his head on the female's head or neck. Since females live in territories guarded by males, lizards that do not have their own plots do not participate in reproduction; they mainly include young animals.

Adult Caucasian dragons, like their counterparts, prefer to live in one place, but sometimes they have to migrate. It is not difficult for a desert lizard to find a place to winter, but for Caucasian agaves the situation is more complicated, since in frosty conditions the rocky slopes freeze deeply, and it is quite difficult to find a deep shelter in which to overwinter. In this regard, Caucasian agamas have to migrate, and they move a distance of about 500 meters.

Since the number of places suitable for wintering is limited, about a dozen adults and young animals can gather in one shelter. In spring, the agama returns to its usual habitat.

Females also face this problem when they are looking for a place to lay eggs. It is difficult to find a secluded place for future offspring among the rocks, so females have to leave their habitable areas and go to where their offspring will be comfortable (the eggs must develop in conditions of high humidity). In search of a suitable place for laying, the female can travel up to 3 kilometers. The hatchlings spend the winter at the laying site, after which they disperse.

During hibernation, the Caucasian agama falls into torpor, and its body temperature ranges from 0.8 to +9.8 degrees Celsius. If the southern winter is warm, then the body temperature of these lizards rises, and therefore they can be seen on the surface as early as January. That is, the winter sleep of Caucasian agamas is not very sound.

What does the Caucasian agama eat?

The diet of Caucasian agamas, like that of the steppe ones, is quite varied. It mainly consists of invertebrates: beetles, butterflies, hymenoptera, centipedes and spiders, which the lizards look out for from their observation points. Sometimes Caucasian agamas eat other lizards and even young animals of their own species. They also eat small snakes. Important role in the diet is plant food– seeds, fruits and leaves.

Reproduction of Caucasian agamas

Each female lays a clutch of 4-14 eggs. Moreover, the eggs are large: their length reaches 2.5 centimeters. For eggs, the female digs a hole under stones or lays eggs in a rock. The eggs develop over 1.5-2 months. Then young agamas hatch, the body length of which, excluding the tail, is about 4 centimeters. They grow quite quickly, and in the 3rd year of life they become sexually mature.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Steppe agama - a medium-sized lizard (length up to 10-15 cm) with pronounced sexual dimorphism in color. Inhabits deserts and semi-deserts of the Eastern Ciscaucasia and Central Asia. Outside Soviet Union widespread in the northern regions of Iran and Afghanistan, and in the northwestern part of China.

The color of the steppe agama is quite variable, but it is usually gray or grayish-yellow (similar to the color of sand), has large dark spots on its back, and vague dark transverse stripes on its tail and upper side of its paws. Body color depends on the ambient temperature and the mood of the animal. When frightened or strongly excited, sexual dimorphism in color becomes more noticeable: in males the throat, belly, lower part of the sides and limbs become dark blue, while in females this does not happen.

It lives in open areas, but in extreme heat it uses rodent holes, cracks in the soil, and voids under stones and plant roots as shelters. To protect the body from overheating on hot soil in the heat, it climbs onto the branches of saxaul and other shrubs. Territorial males have their own areas and protect them from other individuals. This must be taken into account when keeping agamas in order to avoid fights between males.

In nature, the agama feeds on beetles, ants, bedbugs and spiders, in addition, it eats leaves, stems and flowers of plants, especially in spring.

In captivity, it is kept in "Desert" type terrariums at a temperature of 27-29 ° C, with heating. It eats well mealworms, cockroaches, crickets, and green food includes dandelion leaves and flowers.

Sometimes lays eggs in a common terrarium.

Website "Siberian Zoological Museum" (www.bionet.nsc.ru), photo by Yu.K. Zinchenko

“Study of the adaptability of organisms to their environment”
Goal of the work: consider, using specific examples, the adaptability of organisms to their environment.

Equipment: a table showing different types of insect limbs, a picture of animals from the same genus, sources of additional information, keys 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 do their structures have in common? What's different? Explain the reasons for these differences.

1. 
   Look at the images of the animals offered to you. Fill the table.

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

1.
A - running (ant limb)

B- jumping (grasshopper limb)

B- digging (limb of the mole cricket)

G- swimming (limb of a swimming beetle)

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

Conclusion: organisms adapt to specific environmental conditions. This can be verified at specific example agam. Means of protecting organisms - camouflage, protective coloration, mimicry, behavioral adaptations and other types of adaptations allow organisms to protect themselves and their offspring.

The Caucasian agama is a fairly large animal. The body length without tail reaches 15 cm, and the tail is twice as long as the body.

The Caucasian agama is more massive than the steppe one, its body is strongly flattened. The scales covering the body are heterogeneous: among the small scales there are larger, ribbed and awl-shaped scales. The folds of skin on the neck and sides of the head are covered with enlarged conical scales. The eardrum is located on the surface of the head (and not in a depression, like in the steppe agama). The scales covering the tail are arranged in regular rings, with every two rings forming a well-defined segment.

From above, the agama is painted in brown or gray tones, depending on the main background of the habitat: on light limestone rocks it is ash-gray, on basalts it is brown and even almost black, on red sandstones it is reddish-brown.

The ventral side is covered with smooth scales and colored light gray or cream. On the throat there is a dark marble pattern. Young agamas have a clearly visible pattern of alternating dark and light transverse stripes.

Where does the Caucasian agama live?

The Caucasian agama is distributed in the eastern part of the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and the south of Central Asia. In Russia, it is found in the mountainous Dagestan.

This lizard is a characteristic inhabitant of the mountains. It lives on rocks, in gorges, on scree, and even on free-standing huge boulders. Various human buildings and ruins are also inhabited by these lizards.

Despite its external clumsiness, the Caucasian agama moves deftly among the stones. Developed claws on powerful paws allow it to hold on to steep slopes, vertical walls, and smooth boulders. This large lizard It can even jump from stone to stone at a distance of up to 40 centimeters. Occasionally it crawls onto trees or bushes. Cracks, crevices and spaces between stones serve as refuges for the Caucasian agama.

In the places of its distribution, the Caucasian agama is numerous and constantly catches the eye. Like the steppe agama, which chooses bushes as observation points, the Caucasian agama is located on towering rocks or on steep slopes and observes what is happening around from there.

Lifestyle

When danger approaches, she rushes to the shelter with lightning speed and, camouflaging herself, presses against the stones located at its entrance. If in this way it is not possible to hide from the enemy, the agama goes into hiding. There it inflates its body, its awl-shaped scales cling to all the surrounding irregularities, and therefore it is very difficult to pull the lizard out of there.

Males of the Caucasian agama, at an observation post, protect their territory from the invasion of other males. At the same time, they periodically squat on their forelimbs (just like male steppe agama). If a stranger violates the boundaries, the owner of the site rushes at him: this attack is enough to put the “invader” to flight. A female (or two, and sometimes even four) constantly lives in the male’s territory. The male is in contact with them all the time, even when the breeding season ends. The courtship behavior of Caucasian dragons exhibits elements unknown in other lizards, for example, the male placing his head on the neck or head of the female. Since all females live within the strictly protected territories of some male, wandering males who do not have such territories do not participate in reproduction (usually these are young individuals).

Like most lizards, adult agamas constantly live in one place, but they often have to migrate. The fact is that for most desert lizards, finding a wintering place in their individual area is not a problem. But in the biotopes of the Caucasian agama the situation is different - rocky slopes freeze deeply in winter and finding a sufficiently deep and reliable shelter here is not easy. Therefore, agamas can migrate from their individual areas to a distance of up to 500 meters. Since there are few places suitable for wintering, each of them can contain several (and sometimes several dozen) agamas - both adults and young. In the spring, agamas make reverse migrations - to their permanent places a habitat.

The same problem faces female Caucasian agama when searching for a place to lay eggs. It is not easy to find it among the rocks, and therefore the females leave their inhabited individual areas and migrate to where there are conditions suitable for the development of eggs ( high humidity, appropriate shelters). Sometimes they have to travel distances of over three kilometers. The young hatched in the egg-laying areas overwinter here and then settle.

The body temperature of lizards in torpor in winter shelters ranges from -0.8 to +9.8°C. During changeable, warm southern winters There are periods of steady temperature rise, and then, even in January, Caucasian agamas can appear on the surface - their winter sleep is not very deep.

What does the Caucasian agama eat?

Like the steppe agama, the diet of the Caucasian agama is very varied. These are mainly invertebrates, which she looks out for from her observation points: beetles, hymenoptera, butterflies, spiders, centipedes. On occasion, the agama will also eat a small lizard (even juveniles of its own species) or a snake. An important role in its nutrition is played by plant foods - leaves, fruits, seeds.

Reproduction of Caucasian agamas

The female lays from 4 to 14 large (up to 2.5 centimeters long) eggs in a hole she dug under a stone or in a rock crack. The development of the eggs lasts one and a half to two months, after which small agamas with a body length (without tail) of about four centimeters are born. They grow quickly and reach sexual maturity in the third year of life.