Africa Wild Reptile Book: Lizards - Photos & Descriptions

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Limpopo Girdled Lizard Cordylus jonesii
Family: Cordylidae






Tembe Elephant Park

Description
Head and body slightly depressed. Head one and a quarter times aslong as broad. The dorsal pattern varies from red to brown to gray, with dark spots or lines. On some individuals, the lines fuse into a black-bordered white stripe along the midline of the back. It has a distinct dark dorsolateral stripe running from the head to the hips. The belly, throat, and lips are cream to yellow. The tail is very spiny and about 45% the total length of the animal. The maximum length is about 166 mm.

Geographical distribution
It inhabits southern Mozambique, Swaziland, the northeasternprovinces of South Africa, southern Zimbabwe and southeastern Botswana.

Habitat
Dry savanna, usually seeking refugein hollow trees (especially Colophospermum mopane) and under loose bark.

Diet
Termites, beetles, millipede.

Reproduction
Ovoviviparous.

Links: A review of the small east African Cordylus (Sauria: Cordylidae), with the description of a new species (PDF Download Available).

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Black Girdled Lizard Cordylus niger
Family: Cordylidae

© Flutterby
Table Mountain

Size
A medium-sized lizard. SVL 70 - 80 mm, max SVL 92 mm

Description
This girdled lizard has a flattened body and triangular, flattened head with smooth head shields. Males do not have larger heads than females.
The nasals are usually in contact, separating the rostral and the frontonasal, which is in contact with the loreals. The prefrontals are not in contact. The subocular usually reaches the lip, and the prefrontals are usually in contact. The anterior parietals are smaller than the posterior ones. The occipinals are rectangular and smooth. The dorsal scales, which are large and faintly keeled (strongly keeled along backbone), are in 22 - 30 transverse and 16 - 22 longitudinal rows. The ventrals are smooth (but faintly keeled along the flanks) and in 10 longitudinal rows. There is a pair of feebly enlarged preanal plates. There are 5- 10 femoral pores on each thigh. Females lack glandular scales in front of femoral pores. The tail has whorls of large spines.
Coloration is uniform jet-black, but slightly paler below.

Geographical distribution
Endemic. Restricted to Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula, with an isolated population on coastal rocks around Saldanha Bay/Langebaan. The population of the Saldanha-Langebaan area is restricted to a narrow belt along the coast between Mauritz Bay to Postberg Nature Reserve.



Habitat
Rock outcrops in coastal fynbos. A cool-adapted species.

Behaviour
A solitary species sheltering in small cracks. Its black colour enables it to absorb heat on overcast, misty days.

Diet
Ambush forager. Black girdled lizards eat mainly insects, but occasionally will take some vegetable matter.

Reproduction
The black girdled lizard is ovoviviparous, meaning that the fertilised eggs remain inside the female’s body until they are ready to hatch and the female gives birth to live young. Breeding is during the autumn when one to three young are born. The young are immediately self-sufficient and there is no parental care. They reach maturity within three years.

Links: SANBI

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Karoo Girdled Lizard Karusasaurus polyzonus
Family: Cordylidae




Namaqualand

Size
20-25cm. Average snout-vent length: 9–10.5 cm. Maximum snout-vent length: 11.3cm.

Description
Large, graceful girdled lizard' with a flattened body. The head is flat and wide. Heavily armoured, thick scales run down the back and tail, with sharp spines protecting the soft, vulnerable underparts from potential predators. The tail is hard and spiny.
Colour varies: The body is dark-brown to orange, sometimes blotched or with a banded tail of dark-brown. Black morphs occur in coastal regions. All populations retain a distinctive black spot on the side of the neck, between the ears and the front limbs.
Juvenile colouration is more consistent, with prominent dark-brown banding on a yellow-brown body, checked with cream.

Geographical distribution
Found throughout the Karoo region of western South Africa, northwards, into southern Namibia (extending from the Orange River to the Tiras Mountains, Gondwana National Park, Fish River Canyon and Ai-Ais Hot Springs and Resort. There are also small populations around the Dordabis and Karubeamsberg areas).



Habitat
Semi-desert areas, with succulent karroid and renosterveld vegetation. It lives on lower mountain slopes that enjoy sun-split rock formations associated with small rock outcrops.

Behavior
This species lives in craks in shattered boulders, on which it basks. They are very alert creatures and at the slightest hint of trouble or danger will retreat into a rock crack and curl the tail over the head. These lizards hibernate in the winter in a deep tunnel beneath a large boulder the soil providing adequate cover for the duration of the period. Unusually for a lizard, the Karoo girdled lizard is gregarious, and small groups will occupy the same rocky outcrop.

Diet
The Karoo girdled lizard is a sit-and-wait predator, lingering close to its crevice, waiting for beetles and grasshoppers to pass, before making short bursts to catch its prey. Juveniles are more active foragers, and will travel further in search of food.

Reproduction
The Karoo girdled lizard is ovoviviparous, meaning fertilised eggs are retained inside the female’s body, and the female gives birth to live young. 2-3 large young born in summer or autumn, usually February to March.

© Michele Nel

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Drakensberg Crag Lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus subviridis, Pseudocordylus subviridis
Family: Cordylidae


Drakensberg

Size
SVL 80-118 mm.

Description
A medium-sized crag lizard that has the scales on its flanks separated by granular interspaces. There is usually a single row of 4-6 elongate temporal scales. The nasals are in contact, separating the rostral and the frontonasal, which is undivided and touches the anterior loreals. There are usually three upper labials anterior to the subocular, and six lower labials. Occipitals number up to 13, but may be absent. There ar 5-13 femoral scales. Females have well-developed femoral pores.
Coloration is complicated; regional differences occur and breeding males are more colourful and also develop bigger heads. In females, the back is greyish to olive-brown, with extensive, irregular pale spots. Breeding males have a black, with numerous large pale olive-grey blotches; an olivegrey head and temporal region; and their flanks and sides of their tails are heavily suffused with black and orange.

Geographical distribution
It is found from Mont-aux-Sources, through Lesoto and Transkei (E. Cape) underberg, with an isolated population on Amatola Mountains in E. Cape.



Habitat
Rock outcrops on mountain plateaus and in rolling grassland.

Behaviour
Found in large diffuse colonies in suitable habitat, but rarely with more than a single dominant male in a rock crack. Out of the breeding season individuals may share cracks. They are ambush predators, sitting on a vantage point looking for prey.

Diet
They feed on small beetles and flying insects, and berries in season.

Reproduction
Live-bearing lizard. One to six babies (46-48 mm SVL, 2-3 g) are born in December-January, after a three- to four-month gestation period.

[Flutterby]

Cape Crag Lizard Pseudocordylus microlepidotus microlepidotus
Family: Cordylidae

© Flutterby

© Flutterby
Table Mountain

Description
SVL 110-130 mm; max. SVL 145 mm male, 140 mm female.
Body subcylindrical in cross-section, robust. Head broad with strong jaws. Limbs long, digits unreduced. Dorsal scales granular or larger scales separated by granules, tail spiny; occipital spines not present. Tongue unpig- mented. Osteoderms restricted to tail and dorsum of head.
This very large crag lizard has the scales on its flanks surrounded by granules. Large scales on back and belly. The temporal scales are in 1-3 rows.
Males are brightly barred, the back is brown with yellow crossbars, the throat is suffused with grey-blue.

Distribution
South Africa (throughout Cape fold mountains, inland mountain ranges of old Cape excarpment and Eastern Cape with eastern extremity on Van Stadensberg near Port Elizabeth).


Pseudocordylus microlepidotus microlepidotus

Habitat
Montane grassland, fynbos, mountain plateaus.

Behaviour
As the name suggests, the Cape Crag Lizard is a strict rockdweller. It is very aggressive and can inflict a painful bite. Both males and females appear to maintain exclusive territories outside the mating season, but during the mating season, in their search for mates in the low density populations in which they occur, both males and females are forced to scout large areas. This does not appear to be done from a permanent home site, but the lizards rather seem to adopt a nomadic lifestyle during this period. One can speculate that the increased numbers of generation glands in this species is somehow related to locating mates in low density populations. The high number of glands may be essential for amplifying the chemical signal which will allow individuals to locate mates in low density populations or for males that already secured a mate, to deter other suitors at the female's home site.

Diet
This species is a strict sit-and-wait forager and its diet includes a wide range of invertebrates. It probably also feeds on other small lizards.

Reproduction
Viviparous, giving birth to 1–7 young in late summer to autumn. Males have a postnuptial reproductive cycle with spermatogenesis peaking in autumn. Males then store the sperm until mating takes place in spring. The reason for disaccociated male and female reproducitive cycles is uncertain.

Links: William R. Branch: Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa; SCARCE

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Plated lizards (Gerrhosauridae) are endemic to Africa and Madagascar. They are closely related to cordylids and in the past have often been put in the same family. All are terrestrial and oviparous. With few exceptions, all have extensive distribution ranges. They have large scales underlain by thick bony plates or osteoderms and the body is slightly elongated. The genus Tetradactylus contains species with highly elongated bodies and reduced limbs. They are very secretive and are seldom seen. Eleven species occur in South Africa.
Plated lizards are big, diurnal lizards with a long tail, sturdy legs, large head scales and a lateral fold of skin along each flank. Measuring up to 60 cm long, the giant plated lizard is the legest lizard of the refion after the monitors.

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Dwarf Plated Lizard Cordylosaurus subtessellatus (Perdewaentjie)
Family: Gerrhosauridae


Namaqualand, Northern Cape

Size
A small, slender lizard with an adult snout-vent length of 45-55mm. The tail is normally about twice the snout-vent length. Hatchlings measure 20-30mm in total length.

Description
This elegant Lizard has a small head, but the head shields are relatively big. Like many lizards living in arid environments, the lower eyelid is transparent, helping the lizards to see with the eyes closed and thereby preventing drying out of the eyes. The dorsal scales are smooth to keeled and arranged in 15 longitudinal series. The ventral scales are arranged in 8 longitudinal series. Both sexes have 7-10 femoral pores on each side, but generation glands are absent. The head and body is dark brown to black above with distinct dorsolateral stripes that are pale-cream to light yellow that become electric blue on the tail.The limbs are dark brown above. The underside of the body is off-white.

Geographical distribution
This species is found along the western edge of southern Africa, from southern Angola, through western Namibia (including Swakopmund and Walvis Bay regions to the Orange River excluding some areas of the Namib Desert), south to the Northern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa, reaching inland in the south as far as Beaufort West and Rooiberg in the Little Karoo.
Native to Angola (Angola); Namibia; South Africa.



Habitat
Succulent Karoo. This species is found in rocky and stony areas with succulents and in karroid vegetation.

Behaviour

Diet
It eats small insects (flies and grasshoppers) and is an active forager.

Predators
During attacks, the brightly coloured tail probably serves to draw the attention of predators away from the body. The tail is easily shed and the lizard can escape unharmed. A new tail is then regenerated.

Reproduction
It is oviparous and two or three eggs are laid during early summer, hatching February-March the next year.

[Flutterby]

Yellow-throated Plated Lizard Gerrhosaurus flavigularis (Geelkeel-pantserakkedis)
Family: Gerrhosauridae

© Flutterby
Kruger National Park, Mopani camp

Description
This is a medium-sized lizard, about 45½ cm in length, with a slender body and a small head. Usually greenish-grey or brownish, with a yellow (or sometimes red) throat and two bright yellow, dark-edged stripes down each side. It is well armoured, with hard body plates, and head shields fused to the skull. The tail is generally about two-thirds of the total length,very long, easily shed. Its limbs are well-developed, though its four five-toed feet are not specially adapted for digging. In mating season the males head change colour to either red, yellow or even light blue.

Distribution

Gerrhosaurus flavigularis distribution.jpg (36.63 KiB) Viewed 2533 times

Habitat
Grassland and scrub. They are often found in urban areas and normally live in burrows dug at the base of bushes or under boulders but can found under rubbish.

Behaviour
It does most of its tunnelling after rain when the ground is soft. Active by day, it hunts insects and is rarely seen, despite its size. It moves rapidly through the "grass" and at any sign of danger darts into its burrow, usually positioned under a bush.

Diet
Termites, grasshoppers and millipedes.

Reproduction
These lizards mate during the summer.The female plated lizard lays clutches of 4 or 5 eggs in a shallow pit which she excavates and hatchlings emerge in the later summer months.


© ExFmem
"Out of range sighting" Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Links:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 0/download
https://www.tyroneping.co.za/lizards/ge ... vigularis/
https://nextgenherpetologist.co.za/2018 ... ed-lizard/

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Rough-scaled Plated Lizard Broadleysaurus major
Family: Gerrhosauridae




Kruger National Park

Size
25-35 cm

Description
A large, stout lizard, with a short head and large eyes and unusually thick tails (a tail-whip would be painful), that is usually twice the length of it’s body. There are deep lateral folds that run the length of the body which are low on it’s sides and contain skin not covered with plated scales. These grooves function as expansion joints for a female carrying eggs or for distension after a meal .
The back is straw-coloured to light brown. The chin and throat are light straw to cream, and the belly is smoky-grey to light brown. In the breeding season the males develop a pinkish throat.
Can be confused with similar Giant Plated Lizard (Gerrhosaurus validus), which is larger and more flattened and has a distinctive light stripe along each side.

Geographic distribution
Its range is actually more extensive the lizard’s name suggests. Native to eastern Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, northern Zambia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Togo, northern DRC, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern Sudan, Central African Republic, Somalia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana.



Habitat
A ground-dwelling lizard and lives in the semi-arid steppe areas, or flat parts of Africa.

Behaviour
It is diurnal and is considered a shy animal, though males will sometimes attack one another for territory claims. It will not usually bite when threatened and would rather use it’s plated tail in defense. As an escape tactic, the plated lizard will run a distance than suddenly halt, with it’s tail raised, to confuse the pursuer. It will also wedge itself into a crevice to escape a predator . This reptile lives in underground tunnels which it will sometimes share with a snake or mongoose.

Diet
It eats soft fruits and flowers, in addition to insects and millipedes, on occasion small vertebrates like other lizards and rodents.

Reproduction
Mating occurs in August. The female usually lays two but is able to lay up to six large oval eggs in damp soil in October-November. After being layed, the eggs take three to four months to hatch. Hatchlings are 10-15 cm in length and can already be handled like adults.

Links: Mark O'Shea,Tim Halliday: Reptiles and Amphibians

© Super Mongoose
Kruger National Park, Tsendze

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Common Giant Plated Lizard Matobosaurus validus
Family: Gerrhosauridae



Size
SVL 200 to 250 mm. Max SVL 285 mm.

Description
A large lizard with a flattened head and body. The dorsal scales are small with many ridges which give the back edges a serrated appearance. Lower eyelid is covered with small scales. There are black rubber-like balls on the soles of the feet, an adaptation to living on rock outcrops. Plated lizards have a groove running laterally along the length of the body. This groove contains skin that is not covered with plated scales and allows for expansion.
In adults, the back is dark brown to black, with each head shield and dorsal scale spotted yellow, giving a speckled appearance; a pair of broad dorsolateral stripes is sometimes present. The throat is dirty white, and the belly is light brown. In breeding season, the chin, throat and sides of the head of the males become tinged with pink-purple.
Juveniles are black, with a distinct series of yellow spots on the back and bars on the flanks.

Geographic distribution
The Giant Plated Lizard is found in the northern regions of the subcontinent, in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, with one subspecies in Namibia and southern Angola.



Habitat
Open, rocky, dry habitats.

Behaviour
These lizards are very shy and also tend to form loose colonies. They wander over a large area in search of food, but when threatened, they will jam themselves in rock crevices (aided by their flattened body) and inflate with air, making it impossible to extricate them.

Diet
They are omnivorous, consuming a fair amount of plant matter leaves, flowers, and fruit in addition to insects , spiders, millipedes, scorpions, smaller lizards and even young tortoises.

Predators
Recorded as prey of Augur Buzzard.

Reproduction
The female usually lays four large, oval eggs with leathery shells in soil-filled cracks in the rock in midsummer.

© BluTuna

© Heksie

© Amoli

© Sprocky

© Super Mongoose
Kruger National Park, Mopani Camp