Rainbow Agama (Agama agama)

In my Benin, West Africa visit, the first reptile I encountered was this beautiful Rainbow Agama (Agama agama) also referred as Common Agama or Red Headed Agama belonging to Agamidae family. This is widely distributed in Sub Saharan Africa. There are about 40 species in this genus.

This seems to be most common and omnipresent reptile in Benin. The males have this orange head and rainbow like color patterns on the tail. The females have more grey brown coloration with intricate patterns on the head.

References:

• My Agama records from Benin
• Agama on Wikipedia

Bosc’s Fringe-toed Lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus)

Bosc's fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus) is a species of lacertid lizard (Family Lacertidae) endemic to North Africa and Western Asia. It is a fast lizard that lives in deserts.

Both the specific name, boskianus, and the common name, Bosc's fringe-toed lizard, are in honor of French naturalist Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc.

I met this beautiful lizard in the Negev Desert very briefly.

References:

• Species profile on GBIF
• Bosc's_fringe-toed_lizard (Wikipedia)
• Record on iNaturalist