Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors on Anti-predatory Behaviour of Penisular Rock Agama Psammophilus dorsalis

Abstract

In response to human disturbance in the form of habitat alteration, lizards inhabiting distinct habitats should modify their anti-predatory behaviour to match the level of risk imposed by the habitat parameters. Apart from habitat, escape decisions are expected to be influenced by multiple factors, however, most studies examine one or a few factors acting individually which hinders our understanding of their relative importance. In this study, I looked at the influence of habitat alteration on escape decisions of juvenile Peninsular Rock agama Psammophilus dorsalis by comparing two populations, one inhabiting a restored scrub and thorny habitat, which is naturally found and the other inhabiting an open habitat degraded because of heavy grazing. The study was conducted in thorny scrub forests around Rishy Valley School, Andhra Pradesh during January to August 2020.