Green neck spike
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Green nape spike ( Acanthosaura capra ) |
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| Acanthosaura capra | ||||||||||||
| Günther , 1861 |
The green neck spike ( Acanthosaura capra ) is a representative of the agamas (Agamidae), whose habitat is in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).
features
The decisive characteristic for the genus Acanthosaura are the pronounced spines in the neck, which the green neck spike also has. These are clearly separated by a less pronounced ridge. A sting can also be seen above the eyes of the green neck spike. He can lose this, but no longer regenerate. Acanthosaura capra has an olive-green basic color with a brown pattern. This color camouflages it optimally on tree trunks. When stressed, the whole body is colored brown. In healthy animals, the eyes are clear and orange / brown with a round, black pupil.
The head-torso-length (KRL) of the male is 12 cm, the total length up to 30 cm. The females are slightly larger with a KRL of 13 cm and a total length of up to 32 cm. The male has a yellowish throat pouch that can only be seen when threatening. In addition, in contrast to the female, it has a yellow-green band below the eyes and thickenings on the sides of the tail.
Occurrence
The green neck spike lives in the dense, rather cool forests of Southeast Asia in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. There he stays in the upper area of the trees. He prefers the protection of the leaves, does not seek direct sunlight or rain. They often live near bodies of water, where they also dive and swim.
Way of life
The green neck spike is shy in the wild. Instead of attacking, he will run away or simply turn over to the other side of the log if he is spotted. Only in hopeless situations does he threaten an attacker with opening his mouth and setting up the throat pouch. Acanthosaura capra often stays in the same position for a long time and moves rather little. It hangs on vertical branches and does not like to linger horizontally. They are often found directly below the treetops, as they are protected from the sun and rain.
Like most agamas, they only recognize running water and go to it to drink, but also to bathe and hunt in it. They are excellent swimmers and divers.
Reproduction
The courtship and mating behavior is typical for lizards: the male nods his head from an elevated position and presents his luminous throat pouch to attract attention. When a partner is found, the neck bite takes place and then the mating occurs. After a month, the female then begins to dig and lay 10-15 eggs in a 10 cm deep hole. After about six months, the young hatch.
nutrition
The green neck spike has a versatile food spectrum. But it feeds exclusively carnivorous. Preference is given to worm-like animals such as earthworms and various insect larvae. Every other insect is also eaten, but the green nape spike does not actively chase flight insects. Smaller lizards and amphibians as well as nest-young mammals are also eaten with pleasure. He also hunts fish during his dives. When eating, the close relationship of the agame and chameleon comes to light: the green spike fixes the food animal with both eyes and sticks out its tongue, which is very similar to the position of a chameleon shortly before the tongue is shot. Instead of shooting his tongue, however, he simply runs up to the animal and uses his sticky tongue to put it into his mouth.
Keeping in the terrarium
General
Unfortunately, Acanthosaura capra is often offered for sale without the potential customer knowing what to expect. The animals need a terrarium at least 140 × 70 × 170 cm (l × w × h) in size. To do this, there must be a part of the water that should take up at least a quarter of the area, as well as a waterfall or watercourse as a drinking place. One cannot do without these precautions under any circumstances; since the neck spikers only recognize flowing water, they are vital for him.
Lining
In the case of terrarium keeping, the food must be supplemented (= supplemented). On the one hand, they have to be fortified with calcium (for healthy bones) and on the other hand with vitamins. This is best achieved by dusting with appropriate preparations. Often, grated sepia shell is recommended for the calcium requirement and Korvimin or Herpetal for the vitamin balance. In addition, the feed animals must be fed with fruits and vegetables (= gut loading). In the intestines of the food insects , the fruit (or vegetables) are split open. When the nuchal prick eats the animal, the vitamins are transferred to it.
Gravel
The best substrate is forest soil. There are already many small organisms in it that help to clean the terrarium. In addition, white isopods available in specialist shops and tropical springtails can be added to the substrate. They are more used to the tropical climate. They eat excrement, remains of food animals and plants and mold. Their excretions serve the plants as fertilizer, so any artificial fertilizer is superfluous. The substrate should be relatively deep, as the females bury their eggs in it. In addition, it should always be damp, but not wet. It is advisable to put expanded clay balls at the bottom of the terrarium. A garden fleece is placed on top of it and the earth on top. This prevents waterlogging.
planting
The terrarium should be well planted. All indoor plants from the garden trade are allowed in the terrarium. However, it is important to first take each plant out of the pot at home, remove soil or expanded clay balls and give the whole plant a very good shower to wash off fertilizers or other toxic agents. Recommended species are, for example, ficus and ivy species. These plants are dense, have many leaves and climb up the branches, which also leads to planting in the high area of the terrarium. Also recommended for this species are small palm-like trees. For example, certain Dracenae (dragon tree) species. These already have a trunk that the neck spikes can also use for climbing, and a treetop that protects the animals from the light. There are also many vertical, branched branches in the terrarium. The branch circumference should be at least the body circumference of the neck spike. Smooth branches or other smooth surfaces are of no use as the neck spikes have claws to hold on to. It is therefore advantageous to install a rear wall made of a rather soft material (e.g. cork) as an additional climbing option, or a rear wall made of Styrofoam (sealed accordingly) yourself.
climate
The green nape spikes prefer lower temperatures than many other rainforest inhabitants. In addition, they do not like direct light exposure. Since the wattage etc. depends on the size, material and other influences on the terrarium, you cannot give any specific figures. It should be ensured that there is a temperature gradient from top to bottom. The green neck spikes feel most comfortable at temperatures around 25 ° C. The warmest places should be 27 ° C. A local sun place of up to 30 ° C should still be available. During the night, the temperature must be lowered to 18–20 ° C. The UV supply must of course also be regulated via the lighting. UV-B is particularly important in order to achieve a stable bone structure and prevent rickets. During the day the humidity should be between 60 and 80%, at night between 90 and 100%. The day-night rhythm should be 12 hours. The climatic changes of day and night are very important for the animal. Both lighting and irrigation can all be controlled via a timer and rain system. Hibernation can be achieved by minimizing the lighting and stopping feeding for about 8 weeks.
literature
- Oliver Drewes: Compact Knowledge Agamas. Vivaria-Verlag, Meckenheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-9810412-5-5 .
- Jakob Hallermann: With horns, combs and sliding skins. The bizarre tree dragons. In: Reptilia. Vol. 10, No. 1 = No. 51, 2005, ISSN 1431-8997 , pp. 18-25.
- Peter Harbig, U. Maronde: The genus Acanthosaurus: Acanthosaura armate, A. capra, A. crucigera and A. lepidogaster. In: Sauria. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1983, ISSN 0176-9391 , pp. 31-33.
- Ulrich Manthey: Agamid lizards of Southern Asia. = Agamas of southern Asia. Volume: Draconinae (= Terralog. Vol. 7a). Part 1. Edition Chimaira et al., Frankfurt am Main et al. 2008, ISBN 978-3-89973-357-0 .
- Ulrich Manthey: Agamid lizards of Southern Asia. = Agamas of southern Asia. Volume: Draconinae (= Terralog. Vol. 7b). Part 2: Leiolepidinae. Edition Chimaira et al., Frankfurt am Main et al. 2010, ISBN 978-3-89973-375-4 .
- Ulrich Manthey, Wolfgang Grossmann: Amphibians & Reptiles of Southeast Asia. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag, Münster 1997, ISBN 3-931587-12-6 .
- Ulrich Manthey, Norbert Schuster: Agamen. Herpetological Fachverlag, Münster 1992, ISBN 3-9801853-4-6 (2nd edition. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag, Münster 1999, ISBN 3-931587-06-1 ).
