Wildlifeof China
Phrynocephalus versicolor
Agamids & Forest Lizards
Photo: T.Voekler · CC BY-SA 3.0
Phrynocephalus versicolor
Basic stats
Diet
Ants, flies, grasshoppers and ground beetles
Habitat
Desert, often above 3,200 m; lives in an unbranched single-entrance burrow
Range
Western China (Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia), Mongolia and Tuva (Russia)
Size
About 13 cm including tail
The Tuvan toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor) lives in desert areas of China and Mongolia, with records in Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia and in Tuva in Russia. Much of its habitat is above 3,200 m, where temperatures range from about -30°C in winter to 40°C in summer. (The Reptile Database; Wikipedia, general species account)
It grows to about 13 cm including a tail longer than the head and body combined. The head is large and rounded and the snout blunt, and the belly scales extend into short spines. In summer it stays in its unbranched burrow during cold nights and midday heat. It feeds on small invertebrates such as ants, flies, grasshoppers and ground beetles. Incubation takes about thirty days and hatchlings are about 5 cm long. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Phrynocephalus versicolor eat?
- Ants, flies, grasshoppers and ground beetles
- What habitat does the Phrynocephalus versicolor live in?
- Desert, often above 3,200 m; lives in an unbranched single-entrance burrow
- Where is the Phrynocephalus versicolor found?
- Western China (Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia), Mongolia and Tuva (Russia)
- How big is the Phrynocephalus versicolor?
- About 13 cm including tail