Jacky Lizard

[Bushman]

Jacky Lizard (Amphibolurus muricatus)

Can anyone tell the gender of this specimen?

 

[zacthefrog]

iv'e got two and there awsome little fellas. Nice shot too

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Nice shot.

 

[Bushman]

Thanks guys. I'm trying out a new host (SnugMug).
The image seems to have lost its sharpness.

Here's another one. Can anyone guess the gender of these specimens?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

The second shot is great, one of the better Jacky Lizard shots I have seen. I can guess but it would be very much hit and miss, easier in the flesh.

The first looks female to me and the second male. Could easily be wrong though.

 

[r3ptilian]

I agree with gekphotographer female in 1 male in 2. nice pics btw.

 

[Bushman]

Thanks for the compliments re the photos guys, however I'm losing some sharpness from the originals, which is a shame, so I'll keep trying.

What are you guys basing your gender determination on?

 

[W.T.BUY]

Both look male to me. Head size/shape and tail base.

 

[Bushman]

What are the visual differences that can be used to distinguish between the sexes from a distance?
It would be useful to be able to know this (with some confidence at least) for field work.

I've read that males have a larger head proportionately but this requires a trained eye.
Is there any other distinguishing criteria?

Both look male to me. Head size/shape and tail base.

Thanks WTB, you edited in your criteria while I was writing my post.
Can you please elaborate on these criteria?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Yeah I made my judgement mainly on head size and shape, doesn't take that much to get used to in real life it can be a bit harder in pics. Some males have extremely obviously large heads.

 

[r3ptilian]

The first one's head looks smaller, and also there seems to be a more visible bulge at the base of the tail on the second. Nuchal crest also looks smaller on the first dragon. If you could take a pics of the vent area we may be able to tell more (unless they were wild shots, in which case it might be hard).

 

[richoman_3]

great photos!
may i ask though,
i was trying to get photos of these guys last week (got some OK shots), but thats coz with my point and shoot i had to go close in and they just ran away while basking.
how far away were you when taking these shots?

 

[ianinoz]

Very handsome lizards. Thanks for sharing those photos.

 

[W.T.BUY]

At first I found it very difficult to distinguish between males and females now I can generally tell by looking at them. The second dragons has a big boofy head and hemipens are clearly visible at the base of his tail. The first dragon just looks like a male to me but probably due to its large head. After a few years of looking at them you get used to it. Esp. breeding them and growing them up analyzing hemipens and then linking to head shape ect. There are always "freaks" but I would be 95% confident the first is also a male.

Edit: Btw That first shot is awesome and I quite like the 2nd pic the dragon looks quite nice on the rock.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

I really reckon that first one has quite a small slim head.

 

[Bushman]

Thanks for the compliments re the photos, but I'm still unable to get the sharpness of the originals through the image host. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, so I'll keep trying.

I'll see if this shot of a juvenile is any better...

Re: sexing criteria - thanks for elaborating on what features you guys are using to differentiate the sexes with.
As WTB mentions, picking gender whether it be in the field or via photos is a bit of an acquired skill.

The first one's head looks smaller, and also there seems to be a more visible bulge at the base of the tail on the second. Nuchal crest also looks smaller on the first dragon. If you could take a pics of the vent area we may be able to tell more (unless they were wild shots, in which case it might be hard).

R3ptilian, you've used a combination of three criteria here, which everyone seems to agree upon as pretty sound (though somewhat subtle) differences between the genders.
I think I've got some shots of the vent area of the second specimen, so we can verify its gender from them. I'll try and dig them out and post them up asap. I'd better get this clarity issue sorted first though, otherwise you won't be able to see the pores. Unfortunately I don't think I've got pics of the first specimen's vent area though, so we may not be able to confirm its gender with any certainty.

 

[ianinoz]

Try ImageShack or TinyPic.

I use these all the time and I like the resolution.

 

[W.T.BUY]

No need to post vent pics of the 2nd one. im a 1100% sure thats a male. I use photobucket for my photos and generally maintains most sharpness although I have never found an image host that converts 100% sharpness.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Wow those baby jackies look a lot like Rankinia sometimes. I hope you don't wanna know the gender of that one?

 

[Bushman]

Yes, Rankinia diemensis and juvenile Jacky Lizards do look quite similar.
For those that don't know, the best way to distinguish between the two species is that Mountain Dragons have enlarged spinose scales on the sides of the base of the tail.
No, I don't need to know the sex of the juvenile, which as far as I'm aware is not easily done (if at all).

Thanks for your comments Tyson. Can you post pics of a typical male and female for us to compare?
By the way, do you recognize the specimen in the first pic?

What about using the tone of the beard/throat/gular pouch as a way to distinguish males from females?
Do males tend to have blacker throats than females, as is the case with beardies like Pogona vitticeps?
Here's a couple of pics of the second specimen that everyone is confident is a male...