Peters' Ground Agama

Afrikaans name: Peters se Grondkoggelmander

Peters' Ground Agama photographed at Berg-en-dal Camp

Photo © Steven Herbert

Agama armata

Peters' Ground Agama is quite widely distributed in southern Africa where it can be found from Caprivi through to parts of the Cape. It is sometimes referred to as the Tropical Spiny Agama. As you can see from the photos its mottled colouration makes for good camouflage against speckled surfaces.

The body of the Peters' Ground Agama reaches a length of around 8 cm and the tail adds another 12 cm.

Females lay between 10 and 14 eggs and bury them in the sand.The eggs are 15 mm, or a bit less, in length and around 10 mm in diameter.

The main food item of this agama is Harvesting Ants. It will also eat other insects such as beetles and grasshoppers.

Did you know that the name "agama" simply means "lizard" in one of the languages spoken in West Africa.

References and further reading

The Reptiles of the Kruger National Park - Author: U. de V. Pienaar, WD Haacke and NHG Jacobsen - Published: 1983 - Page: 55

A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa - Author: Graham Alexander and Johan Marais - Published: 2007 - Page: 197

The Reptile Database

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