More Than One
Fan-Throated Lizard
Two remarkably similar lizards from Maharashtra reveal how geography and habitat can quietly shape different species.
At first glance, there seemed little reason to think they were different.
Both were small, earth-coloured lizards living among dry grass, exposed stone and sun-baked ground. When still, each could almost disappear into its surroundings.
During the breeding season, however, the males became impossible to overlook. From beneath the throat, each unfolded an extraordinary fan of blue, black, yellow and orange.
The displays looked remarkably alike. The landscapes in which I photographed them did not.
Mahatma Tekdi
I photographed the first lizard at Mahatma Tekdi in Kothrud, Pune. The hill had already taken on its summer colours: dry grass, dusty earth and exposed rocks warming beneath the morning sun.
Against this background, the lizard’s brown body provided excellent camouflage. It became noticeable mainly when it moved between the grass and stones.
Then it climbed onto a raised perch.
Its body lifted, its head pointed upwards, and the folded skin beneath its throat opened into a broad fan of intense colour. A lizard that had almost vanished against the ground had suddenly raised one of the brightest signals in the summer grassland.
This was a male Deccan Fan-throated Lizard, Sarada deccanensis. The species is found across parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, where it inhabits dry grasslands, rocky terrain and other open landscapes.
Satara Plateau
The second male was photographed on a high lateritic plateau in Satara district.
It stood upright on an exposed mound and opened an equally spectacular fan. Seen only in a photograph, the display could easily be mistaken for that of the lizard from Mahatma Tekdi.
This, however, was the Superb Large Fan-throated Lizard, Sarada superba.
The surrounding landscape offered an important clue. This plateau was higher, cooler and more windswept than the urban hill near Pune. The shallow lateritic ground supports a specialised seasonal community adapted to intense sunlight, monsoon waterlogging and prolonged summer dryness.
Sarada superba has a much more restricted known distribution. It is associated with high-elevation plateaus in the Satara region, particularly the Chalkewadi landscape.
These open plateaus may appear barren during the dry season, but they are distinct ecosystems. Roads, quarrying, construction and other changes can quickly alter habitats on which restricted-range species depend.
Reading the Landscape
Fan-throated lizards across India were once treated as members of only a few widely distributed species.
Closer examination of their scales, body proportions, throat structures and genetics revealed a far more complex picture. Animals that appeared superficially similar could belong to separate evolutionary lineages.
The two males in the opening photograph demonstrate that idea beautifully. One raises its fan above the warm, lower hills of the Deccan near Pune. The other displays on the high lateritic country of Satara.
Their colours encourage us to compare the animals. Their surroundings help explain the difference.
Identifying wildlife often begins with scales, markings and body shape. But elevation, geology, vegetation and climate can provide equally important clues.
“Fan-throated lizard” is therefore not the name of one widespread species. It refers to a diverse group of reptiles shaped by different grasslands, plateaus and open habitats across India.
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