When you visit the Northern Himalayan States of India, I am sure you will see these creatures basking on the rocks.



The Himalayan rock agama or Kashmir rock agama, Laudakia tuberculata, is a very common species of agamid lizard found in North India (Kashmir, Uttarakhand and the western Himalayas).

I'm from Uttarakhand, where you can find plenty of these lizards, and I've been seeing these creatures since I was a child. As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, my unfamiliarity with lizards and these agamas leaves me a little frightened of them, but according to reptile lovers they are magnificent and harmless.

It is said that these lizards are from iguana family and I guess that is the reason some people call them "mini iguanas!"

These agamas can reach 15-16 inches and they have many color variations.

I have been watching these lizards in the backyard of my house in Uttarakhand for 19 years, and the thing that makes me most happy is knowing their numbers haven't decreased. It always gives me a feeling that the reptiles are safe out there!