Zonosaurus ornatus
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Ornate Girdled Lizard
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In the middle of the day between hikes on Ranomafana National Park trails, we had a few hours for lunch and R&R back at Setam Lodge. After a tasty meal, we walked up the road about 100 yards to a gazebo that had a nice view of a nearby waterfall. While we admired the scenic beauty, I heard a scuffle in the bushes below and looked down to see this Zonosaurus tossing a green day gecko about. I'm afraid in my quest for photos I interrupted its meal, and the day gecko escaped, apparently not too seriously wounded.
Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2007 trip to Madagascar.
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Last time I was in Ranomafana, I was very happy to have seen one of these. This time I went out to the same little gazebo, still there but more dilapidated, and scoured the area to find nothing but dragonflies and butterflies.
When I returned to our lodge (the same one we had stayed in on the previous trip), I saw one of these on the concrete stairs up to my bungalow. Later in the day I saw three others in the same area.
Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.
Printed references:
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 1994. A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 2007. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition
- Henkel, F., Schmidt, W. 2000. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar and the Mascarene, Seychelles, and Comoro Islands