Mystery reptile at the zoo!

[RyuuKirin]

So, I went to the zoo with the husband over the weekend, and this little fella (lady?) caught my eye. There was supposed to be some kind of turtle in there, but this is obviously NOT a turtle. When I got home and was playing around with the pictures, it looked more and more like a weird little beardie to me... but at the same time- not. So... what is it?? Anyone know?

(i posted some other pictures here)

 

[Dimidiata]

Imo looks like a beardie, the question is what kind of beardie. Im not toooo hot with the diffrent species but my best shot is either minima or mitchelli

 

[GeckoCrossing]

Looks like a Pogona microlepidota. Less pronounced scales or spikes. But I could be wrong. They're pretty rare.

 

[leezard]

I am thinking it's some type of Agama

 

[Dimidiata]

I am thinking it's some type of Agama

this. However, there are like a trillion(not really) species. I give XD.

 

[RyuuKirin]

lol you guys have better guesses than me! My first reaction was "why is there a beardie in a turtle tank!?" And the more I looked, the less sure I got, lol. Now, to google what you guys said

 

[M_surinamensis]

I have some questions.

How big was it, from snout to vent? (as it is missing the end of its tail)

Is the color balance of the photo pretty accurate; on my monitor it looks to be a light sandy tan color with some light olive green blotching on the body, more intense green on the head.

The Tulsa zoo species list doesn't list any agamas, though there were some agamids and some iguanids that occupy similar ecological niches.

Inland beardies, the usual P. vitticeps, not what is pictured. No other bearded dragons were listed.

They did list madagascar iguanas, but the list they had on their website had common names only, so that could be Chalarodon madagascariensis or Oplurus sp.. Depending on the size of the lizard you saw, there may be a candidate in that group. The proportions and shape are similar, though the head-on-photo isn't the best gauge.

They also listed spiny lizards; a group of american iguanids with around one hundred recognized species. Most of them have a bit more of a pine-cone appearance due to deeply keeled scales, and a stouter body with a less pronounced neck but it's a big group and there's some diversity at play there, so it's a possibility.

And... of course... there exists a strong possibility that the species list on their website isn't up to date, or that someone uses different common names that I'm not recognizing, because the bastards didn't list nomenclature. There should be an AZA list around somewhere but they rearranged their website since I last looked for one and I have no idea where to find them anymore.

If you get a good candidate species with a similar appearance, closely check the scalation around the mouth, the fairly distinct looking conical scales at the end of the jaw behind the tympanum and that lateral line of spined scales along the base of the tail. Color and pattern are not always a reliable indicator, being so variable depending on recent conditions and diet.

 

[RyuuKirin]

The colors are spot on- it blended in very well- and this little guy was in a spot marked for some kind of turtle, so I have no clue what it could actually be. As far as size, you can see bits of pebble and dirt under it, it wasn't very large at all, my best guess would be 6"-7" tops. I know they are doing a lot of construction and moving animals around right now, so there is really no telling.

I did see the other iguanas you mentioned, but they were in different areas.

 

[M_surinamensis]

I did see the other iguanas you mentioned, but they were in different areas.

They have fiji, cuban rock, rhino and green iguanas; which I suspect are what you'd recognize as "other iguanas."

Madagascar "iguanas" and spiny lizards are iguanids that have little superficial resemblance to the traits most commonly associated with iguanas (and our frequent association of the term with green iguanas, the species).

 

[Dimidiata]

...is it possible to call the zoo and ask....too radical?

 

[RyuuKirin]

not too radical, except I don't remember where it was. I can imagine myself calling and saying "Hey! So, somewhere where there was supposed to be some kind of turtle, I saw a little reptile that looked a bit like a bearded dragon to me.... what was it?" ... because I'm fairly certain they'd either hang up or have NO idea what I was asking about.

 

[Youngyoshi]

Could be a rankins dragon