Spiderman Lizard Reported in Lenexa Kansas

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Rich Glor

lenexa lizard

A resident of Lenexa, KS took the photographs above of a lizard on the side of his house in mid-August of 2014. It looks somewhat like a lizard dressed in a spiderman costume. Who can identify the species? Is this a species that has ever been reported in Kansas previously? Is it likely to be a permanent resident of our state?

Comments

Answer

These are called Mwanza flat-headed rock agamas (Agama mwanzae), but they're also called Spiderman agamas (why not call them that, right?). I know that they're native to Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda-basically around the southern shore of Lake Victoria, but you can find their natural history and the like on Wikipedia if you're interested. I will add, though, that this - http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/agamas/spiderman-agama-for-sale.html - kind of thing is probably how that one wound up in Kansas.