Lizards

Lizards are surprisingly common in the Namib and Kalahari Deserts. 

Kalahari tree skink (Mabuya spilogaster)

Common on acacia trees along dry riverbeds.

Kalahari tree skink

Wedge-snouted desert lizard (Meroles cuneirostris)

A very fast runner, it eats beetles and other insects.

wedge-snouted desert lizard wedge-snouted desert lizard

Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis)

A large, ungainly chameleon with a short tail, this animal lives in very hot desert areas. It eats beetles and anything else it can catch.

Namaqua chameleon Charlotte and Namaqua chameleon Namaqua chameleon Namaqua chameleon catching a toktokkie beetle Namaqua chameleon chasing a beetle

Common Namib day gecko (Namaqua Day Gecko) (Phelsuma ocellata)

Live in rocky desert plains of the coastal Namib Desert.

common Namib day gecko common Namib day gecko common Namib day gecko common Namib day gecko

Thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus sp.)

Lives in the coastal desert. The animal on the left is washing its eye with its transparent tongue.

thick-toed gecko thick-toed gecko

Palmato gecko (Palmatogecko cf vanzyli)

Dig burrows in soft sand.

Palmato gecko foot of Palmato gecko Palmato gecko on hand Palmato gecko Palmato gecko head of Palmato gecko

Carp's barking gecko (Ptenopus carpi)

Live in shallow burrows in the gravel plains of the Namib Desert.

Carp's barking gecko Carp's barking gecko Carp's barking gecko

Bradfield's Namib day gecko (Rhoptropus bardfieldi)

Hang on the shaded sides of rocks during the hottest part of the day.

head of Bradfield's Namib day gecko Bradfield's Namib day gecko on thumb Bradfield's Namib day gecko foot of Bradfield's Namib day gecko

Boulton's Namib day gecko (Rhoptropus boultoni)

Feed on ants, spiders, and beetles.

Boulton's Namib day gecko

Namibian rock agama (Agama planiceps)

A large graceful agama with a small flat head and a very long tail. The male has an orange head and tail.

female Namibian rock agama male Namibian rock agama

Tree (savannah) monitor lizard (Varanus cf exanthematicus)

A large, strong lizard with sharp claws.

tree monitor lizard

Ground agama (Agama oculeata)

A medium-sized agama with a triangular head. This one is foraging in some elephant dung.

ground agama

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Last modified 4 Novrmber 2019