Page 30 - nov

Creatures in the garden

TREE AGAMA: Why is this lovely lizard so feared

in Botswana? Well the short answer is many believe it
to be poisonous.... BUT is that true?

It isn’t true, it is definitely not poisonous, according to the Journal of Zoology,
Wikipedia, Researchgate.net and a number of other sources on the internet. It may
have a painful bite... although as I’ve picked up a few and never been bitten, it can’t be
an aggressive biter, however that being said, it doesn’t like to be teased.
I rescued one of these lizards from a fountain at Phomolong cemetary where it had
managed to almost drown itself. The administration begged me to take it away, and as
I’ve noticed children around where I live are habitually throwing stones at them, I
decided to do a bit of research into why they are so hated. The Agama usually eats
ants, crickets, caterpillars, worms, and spiders, plus a variety of other foods including
seeds and berries, so in fact they are largely beneficial to the garden environment.
They lay a clutch of about 8 to 15 eggs mid-summer and it takes about 2 months for
them to hatch, and they live on average between 25 and 28 years.

A long term garden resident that will brighten up the tree trunks with its blue head
and yellowish tail, plus eat a few of your undesirable pests, what’s not to love?
So please try to spread the word that this fearsome creature should not to be reviled
but rather welcomed into the garden.. it will always brighten up your day.
30 Text & photos by S.C