Common Garden Lizard

Calotes versicolor is medium in size with a relatively large head, in males there is a small gular sac on throat. Its tail is like a whip and is more than twice the length of its body. This species can be recognized by the presence of a crest on its neck, a pair of small spines above the tympanum and an absence of shoulder folds. The scales on his body are facing backwards and upwards, the scales on the underside of his thighs are keen. The body color is generally light brown and can adjust to the surrounding environtment (mimicry). The back has a wide brown stripe with yellowish lateral band on the side. Breeding males have a red color on the heads and necks with black patches on the shoulders. Females and juveniles have darker transverse stripes with patches on the sides, often with lighter paired dorso-lateral stripes.