6 Common LIZARDS found in Angola! (ID GUIDE)
Do you want to learn about the different kinds of lizards in Angola?
If so, you’ve come to the right place! In the article below, I have listed the lizards you can expect to see. For each species, you’ll find out how to identify that lizard correctly, along with pictures and interesting facts!
6 Lizards That Live IN Angola:
#1. Tropical House Gecko
- Hemidactylus mabouia
How to identify:
- Length: 5 inches (12.7 cm).
- Lifespan: Between 3 and 5 years.
- Blackish-brown bands that can change color from grey to white and even dark brown.
The Tropical House Gecko is native to sub-Saharan Africa and prefers scrubby and sandy areas near the beach. But this small lizard feels at home in suburban areas in Angola, where it is often found in homes. These geckos mainly feed on spiders, cockroaches, scorpions, moths, anoles, grasshoppers, and even other geckos.
Due to their adaptability, Tropical House Geckos are now found worldwide after being introduced by humans.
#2. Nile Monitor
- Varanus niloticus
How to identify:
- Length: Between 47 – 86 inches (119 to 218 cm).
- Lifespan: Between 10 and 20 Years.
- Nile Monitors have prominent skin patterns; both males and females are grey/brown on top and have green/yellow barring on their tails. Both sexes have large, greenish-yellow spots on their backs, and their underside and throats are creamy-yellow.
Nile Monitors are one of the largest and most spectacular lizards to observe in Angola.
Look for them roaming near a permanent water source near woodlands, scrubs, evergreen thickets, mangroves, and swamps. Nile Monitors feed on frogs, toads, rodents, small turtles, birds, eggs, insects, and fish.
Luckily, the Nile Monitor is a lizard, not a human; otherwise, society would frown upon its polygamous behavior. Both males and females mate with several other partners.
After mating, the female takes a break from the males and makes a suitable nest in termite borrows or digs a hole near water where she lays up to 60 eggs. The female is patient during the incubation process, which lasts six to nine months. The baby monitors dig their way to freedom, or the female digs them out, and after three to four years, they are ready to mate themselves.
#3. Speckle-lipped Mabuya
- Trachylepis maculilabris
How to identify:
- They have a brown back and a thin yellow rim surrounding their ear opening.
- Both sexes look similar.
The Speckle-lipped Mabuya, often called the Speckle-lipped Skink, is diurnal, meaning it is mostly active during the day. These lizards enjoy hot areas in Angola and often bask on a rock or log under the intense sun.
The Speckle-lipped Mabuya prefer areas that are well protected from the elements and are often seen in buildings like houses, garages, and floor apartments. In nature, they find safety in thick foliage but often climb rocks to sun themselves or find a female or food.
#4. Senegal Mabuya
- Trachylepis affinis
By Jarne Colman – Own work, CC0
How to identify:
- They are brown with a white belly, four rows of black spots, and a pale stripe that stretches from its upper lip to its groin.
- Both sexes look similar, but adult males are smaller than adult females.
The Senegal Mabuya is a small brown lizard inhabiting forests and woodlands in Angola. They spend most of the day on the ground and rarely climb trees or rocks. Where other lizards seek out a rock to bask in the sun, the Senegal Mabuya will lie on top of leaves, where it can quickly hide if a predator approaches.
Senegal Mabuyas are insectivores that mainly feed on small earthworms, spiders, and other insects. These small brown lizards breed in spring or early summer. Interestingly, after mating, the female lets the eggs develop inside her for a long period before she lays them.
#5. Flap-necked Chameleon
- Chamaeleo dilepis
How to identify:
- Males and females have a coloring that ranges from brown to yellow to green. Both sexes have between 1 and 3 light patches on their upper flanks and a light stripe on their lower sides.
- It is identified by its broad tail that starts at the base and a spur that grows behind each hind foot.
The Flap-necked Chameleon is a large lizard belonging to the Chamaeleonidae family, a common sight in Angola. These unique lizards prefer moist or arid savannah, coastal forests, bushy grass, and woodlands, but it is known to venture into suburban and rural areas. They feed on various insects and invertebrates, like beetles and grasshoppers.
When it is time for breeding, the Flap-necked Chameleon male is no stranger to showing off his strength and masculinity by fighting other males to secure a suitable female. Winning the fight does not necessarily persuade the female, but it at least allows the male to approach her.
If the male is accepted, courtship with the female is brief and only lasts a few minutes. Mating lasts about an hour and is done in the trees’ safety.
#6. Wahlberg’s Striped Skink
- Trachylepis wahlbergii
By Ryanvanhuyssteen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
How to identify:
- They are greyish/brown and have a white belly with a thin black band that runs from its shoulder to its eye.
- The male and female look similar, but the male has a yellowish/orange throat during breeding.
The Wahlberg’s Striped Skink is a very active lizard in Angola, inhabiting woodlands, savannas, suburbs, and semi-dry areas. These medium-sized reptiles are great climbers and prefer to scurry along trees, rocks, and buildings. They are “diurnal,” meaning they are mostly active during the daytime and often basking in the sun on a ledge, log, or rock.
With extraordinary climbing ability and astonishing hunting skills, the Wahlberg’s Striped Skink makes quick work when it attacks its prey. They mostly hunt crickets, flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and beetles, but they also feed on earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, slugs, snails, and woodlice. Larger individuals also eat small lizards, rodents, and geckos.
Do you want to learn MORE about animals in Angola?
Check out these ID Guides!
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11 Dangerous Predators Found in Angola
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14 Types of Antelopes that live in Angola
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7 Common SPIDERS Found in Angola! (w/Pics)
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13 Common SNAKES That Live in Angola! (ID Guide)
Which of these lizards in Angola is your favorite?
Leave a comment below!
