Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Eerily resembles a uromastyx but crazy colored and from Brazil... apparently it has just been discovered, but I found it quite interesting. Wonder if it's just a random act of evolution or if they're related...

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0927-amazon.html

I'm trying hard to think of a more gorgeous lizard & nothing's coming to mind...

Funk-E! That is one stunning little critter, whatever it is!
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

looks like Tropidurus (Uracentron) azureum. reportedly very difficult captive. eats ants.
-----
Lindsay Pike
Urotopia Uromastyx

That appears to be true as a quick google search reveals ... Wonder why the sneaky press slipped in a picture of a known species while talking about recently discovered animals.

Both a pitty and not a pitty that it's a difficult captive- can't appreciate the animal indoors, but it also makes it hard to mass-market a bunch to be killed by bad keepers. Those would no doubtedly be a giant $ chute for pet stores.

With all the "morphing" going on with reptile breeding these days, maybe some entrepeneur can morph a mali into one of these color phases, sans ant eating...

Tropidurus (Uracentron)

I know a very experienced lizard-keeper here in Florida that has tried keeping both the auzureum and flaviceps (see photo link) without success. He even setup an enclosure outside surrounding live trees with plenty of ants.

link to a photo of another in same genus on Oklahoma museum website

-----
Lindsay Pike
Urotopia Uromastyx

I remember these a few years ago with a price tag of about $750.00 wholesale. We talked about these before Lindsay. Fantastic animal.

Thats not a new species.
Its an iguanid: Uracentron azureum. A Tree dweller which has hardly ever been exported. ALso only very few pics exist and not much is known about its life habits despite the fact that it seems to prey preferably on ants.
The spiny tail is nothing more than a convergent development.
Thsi lizard is not closely related to Uromasty xspecies.

Regards

Ingo