Agama atra
Silhouette: Natalie Claunch · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The southern rock agama or southern African rock agama (Agama atra) is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae that occurs in Southern Africa in Zambia, South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana. It lives in small colonies on rocky outcrops, and the males are very conspicuous for their bright blue heads.
The natural range of this species is over the entire South Africa and Botswana, excluding only sandy areas of the Northern Cape and portions of the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. This rather sociable agama is normally found in small groups or colonies. It grows up to about 25 cm and has a thin dorsal crest that runs the length of its body. It typically has a short, plump body and a thin tail, with a triangular head. During the breeding season, the heads of the males become bright blue. The males also take to sitting on top of prominent rocks and are therefore a common sight in mountainous areas of South Africa. The females and young are a more uniform greyish-brown and are much more shy.
These active, diurnal lizards normally hunt small insects such as ants and termites. They sometimes adjust to living near... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo La Barben | 🇫🇷 France |
No species of the same family or order lives in Table Mountain National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Rock Agama sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 1,755 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 41 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to March
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Rock Agama in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June to August, the lowest months. Those are among Table Mountain National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in June.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Rock Agama sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Southern Rock Agama sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 70%) and Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Rock Agama is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Table Mountain National Park (1,755 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
