Feeding Habits of Lizards in the Genera Mabuya, Agama, Ichnotropis and Lygodactylus in Zambia, Africa

The food type and foraging habits of African lizards of the genera Mabuya, Agama, Ichnotropis and Lygodactylus from Dambwa Forest Reserve, Livingstone, Zambia, are documented. The bulk of the diet of these lizards consists of termites and ants. Since these lizards feed mainly on small colonial insec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 1979-01, Vol.82 (1), p.55-59
Main Authors: Simbotwe, Malumo P., Garber, Steven D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ants
Ecology
Feeding habits
Food
Insect colonies
Lizards
Niche differentiation
Phytophagous insects
Termites
Wetland ecology
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Summary:The food type and foraging habits of African lizards of the genera Mabuya, Agama, Ichnotropis and Lygodactylus from Dambwa Forest Reserve, Livingstone, Zambia, are documented. The bulk of the diet of these lizards consists of termites and ants. Since these lizards feed mainly on small colonial insects, the added advantage to the community of having lizards of different ages and sizes, within and between species, feeding on different size prey, an aspect that reduces competition for food in many other lizards, does not exist. Thus in the absence of this phenomenon, lizards in this community were found to co-exist and avoid competitive exclusion by foraging in different micro-habitats and exhibiting behavioral differences with respect to procuring food.
ISSN:0022-8443
1938-5420
DOI:10.2307/3627018