Acanthocercus atricollis
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Acanthocercus atricollis, the black-necked agama or southern tree agama, is a species of tree agama that is native to East, Central and southern Africa. Its largest continuous range is in southeastern Africa, and it occurs at high densities in the Kruger National Park.
The sexes have a comparable snout-to-vent length (SVL) and have similar tail lengths. Mature males have somewhat larger heads than females, which is deemed to be an adaptation for intraspecific competition for territory. Females reach sexual maturity when about 96 mm (3.8 in) long (SVL) and males from about 82 mm (3.2 in) (SVL).
They form structured colonies with a dominant male, several females and juveniles. The males defend territories and engage in combat. Although mostly diurnal, they sometimes exhibit nocturnal activity. It adapts readily to the vicinity of human habitation. They are classic ambush foragers which spend only some 4% of their time moving. This involves an average of less than one movement in two minutes. When stationary, the adults position themselves on lateral branches (42% of the time), on tree trunks (35%), or occasionally on the ground (23%).
Acanthocercus a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chimp Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Touroparc Zoo | 🇫🇷 France |
No species of the same family or order lives in Durban, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Agama sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 186 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Agama in Durban on a given day, against about 20% in June and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Tree Agama sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Southern Tree Agama sightings, Durban ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Maputo (Mozambique, about 60%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Tree Agama is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Durban (186 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
