Ethogram of courtship and mating behaviour of garden lizard, Calotes versicolor

Abstract

An ethogram of courtship and mating in the garden lizard, Calotes versicolor was prepared by recording these behaviours in outdoor terraria. Courtship behaviour was recorded by video camera and handwritten notes of direct observations in nine encounters. A behaviour inventory defining 25 distinctive postures/ gestures, orientations and simple movements is presented, and these units are grouped into functional categories. The courtship behaviour was divided into three distinguished patterns - orientation, persuasion and copulation. This study describes the ethogram of courtship and mating behaviour in an agamid lizard in captivity and correlates the function and form of behavioural units in an agamid lizard.