Ceratophora tennentii, commonly known as the rhinoceros agama, horn-nosed lizard, and Tennent's leaf-nosed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.
The generic name, Ceratophora, means horn bearer.
The specific name, tennentii, is in honour of Irish politician James Emerson Tennent, who was Colonial Secretary of Ceylon (1845–1850).
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withC. tennentii has a leaf-like appendage on the end of its nose. The species can reach lengths of over 8 inches (20 cm) including the tail. Males usually have more green in their coloration than females have, although they can change color to a reddish brown. Females usually have a shorter appendage on the nose. C. tennentii is not very agile and relies more on coloration than speed to avoid predators.
The head is oval, and longer than wide. The rostral appendage is fleshy, laterally compressed, leaf-like with a bluntly conical scale at the tip. The lamellae under fourth toe number 23-30.
The dorsum is reddish brown to olive green. The larger flank scales are more green. The gular region and sides of the neck have dark markings. The tail has 20 dark brown cross-bands. The venter is cream-coloured.
C. tennentii is found in the wet tropical montane cloud forests of the Knuckles mountains in Sri Lanka at elevations of 760–1,220 m (2,490–4,000 ft). It has also been recorded in several other forest habitats.
C. tennentii is diurnal, and therefore is usually only active in the day. Very little is actually known about the behaviour of this unusual lizard.
C. tennentii is reported to feed on insects and other small arthropods.
C. tennentii lays eggs and is a sexually reproducing animal.
Threats to C. tennentii include deforestation, pesticides, climate change, forest fires, and bioaccumulation. Much of its habitat has been cleared for illegal logging and the cardamom, coffee, tea, and rubber plantations over the past two centuries.
In 2000, areas above 1,067 m (3,501 ft) above sea level were protected and labeled as conservation forest. Cardamom cultivation had to be abandoned in this area. However, rather than natural regeneration, the cardamom range was taken over by invasive weeds such as mistflower (Eupatorium riparium ) and lantana (Lantana camara ). C. tennentii was placed on the endangered list by the IUCN in 2006.
