Tarakona are small lizards in the kavoglad genus. It grows to a length of 18 – 23 cm with a short, square tail and very bright colors. Their typical weight is 150–170 grams. They can live up to 40 years. They are endemic to the Iokeihiko. They are seen as curious, humorous, and deeply social animals in both domestic and wild situations.
Appearance
Behavior
Reproduction
Appearance
The tarakona is the most common kavoglad species. They have an almost equal amount of scales and feathers due to the size of their wings. Typically, healthy tarakona have a chest and belly of white plumage, a crown or crest on the head in black or orange, a plume on the tail of green or yellow feathers, and wings of emerald green. The white breast feathers of wild tarakona are often stained a chestnut brown color. This may be tannin staining, as result of their particular affinity for bathing by rubbing their bodies against wet leaves and other plant matter. Males and females have identical plumage.
The scales of the tarakona on the dorsal surface are relatively small, uniformly overlapping, and slightly keeled. The mid-back scales are slightly larger than elsewhere, and the scales on the tail are larger than those on the back. Squarish scales along its back and sharper ‘spines’ on its tail help protect these animals from predators. During the breeding season, the scales of the male tarakona become a striking blue color to attract females.
Behavior
The tarakona lizard is diurnal. It hides in rock cracks and crevices in isolated terrain. It lives in social groups of up to 30 to 60 individuals of all ages, but usually fewer. The tarakona possesses an uncommon antipredator adaptation in which it takes its tail in its mouth and rolls into a ball when frightened. In this shape, it is protected from predators by the thick, squarish scales along its back and the spines on its tail.
They usually forage on at higher levels in the canopy, although can also be found lower at forest edges. At least two members of the flock act as sentries during feeding time. Their diet consists of flowers, fruit, pulp, seeds, insects, and spiders, although in captivity they are known to eat small mammals. Depending on the species and the location, they can breed from October to May at various times of the year. Tarakona are high-nesting cavity animals and roost communally. Tarakona are also known to form ad-hoc defensive committees in response to predators.
Well-raised tarakona bond well with people and have a reputation as playful and energetic pets that enjoy playing with toys and lying on their backs. These lizards sometimes perform a behavior unusual for avian species in which they roll over on their backs in apparent play-fighting with other tarakona - sometimes called "wrestling".
Tarakona also exhibit a unique behavior known as "surfing", where the animal will vigorously rub its face, wings and chest against any nearby soft item (e.g. carpets, towels, cushions, crumpled paper, curtains or human hair) while using its beak to pull itself along. During this, the animal will display jerky movements and may roll over several times. This behavior is thought to be a cleaning or bathing motion and occurs regardless of age or sex. In the wild, tarakona use wet leaves for this behavior.
Tarakona are playful and energetic pets. Because of their behaviors, many consider them humorous animals. They need a large cage with lots of toys and perches. However, tarakona can have a tendency to bite, so owners may need to set boundaries early on. Some tarakona will poorly mimic speech. However, they more commonly mimic other surrounding sounds, such as alarm clocks, smoke detectors, microwave-oven beeps, laughs, car alarms, and whistles. In addition, tarakona will combine sounds they have picked up to make new ones.
Reproduction
The male finds a prominent spot where he can communicate with a prospective mate by bobbing his head, using eye movements, and doing push-ups with his front limbs.
Each mated pair of tarakona needs their own private area (tree, crag, etc.) for their nest. The female tarakona gives birth to one or two live young; the species is one of the few lizards that does not lay eggs, which she incubates for 30 days while being fed by her mate.. The female may even feed her young, which is also unusual for a lizard. Females give birth once a year at most; some take a year off between births. The adults defend their nesting sites. Both parents help take care of the chicks until they can go off on their own.