Food and Feeding Habits of the African Rainbow Lizard (Agama agama, Linnaeus, 1758) in Selected Sites of a University Community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/jaz.v43iS1.5107Keywords:
feeding, habits, Agama agama, University CommunityAbstract
Various factors, including habitat, season, prey availability, body size, and evolutionary adaptations, influence lizard feeding preferences. In this study, we examined the dietary composition and morphometric characteristics of Rainbow Lizards (Agama agama) from four different sites. The collected specimens' guts were dissected longitudinally for food analysis based on sex and site. It was observed that Site 1 had the highest number of specimens (31.43%), followed by Site 2 (25.71%), Site 4 (22.86%), and Site 3 (20%). The sex distribution revealed that male specimens accounted for 54.29% of the population, while females comprised 45.71%. Morphometric measurements indicated maximum and minimum body lengths of 40.00 cm and 14.20 cm, respectively, with males exhibiting larger dimensions. Body weight ranged from 28.42 g to 73.10 g, and head and tail lengths varied between sexes. Gut analysis indicated that insects were the dominant food source, followed by plant matter and non-food items like stones and sand. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant association (p> 0.05) between food content and sex. Both ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U-tests indicated no significant differences (p > 0.05) in food content, sex distribution, and lizard abundance across sites. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship (p < 0.05) between female body weight and female food content weight, as well as a stronger correlation (p < 0.01) between female body weight and plant food weight. These findings provide insights into the feeding patterns and body characteristics of A. agama across different environments, highlighting the lizards' exploration of various food items.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Mary Ebun Ajibola, Taiwo Omotayo Omoshehin, Oluwadamilare Emmanuel Obayemi, Abimbola Faith Oyejola
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