Acanthocercus atricollis
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% 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 uMkhuze Game Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Agama sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 18 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 and November
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tree Agama in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, April and July–August, 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Southern Tree Agama sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 40%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Tree Agama is recorded against all the reptiles logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (26 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.
