Cordylidae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cordylidae |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Tropical girdled lizard, Cordylus tropidosternum |
|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Cordyliformes |
| Family: | Cordylidae Fitzinger, 1826 |
| Diversity | |
| 10 genera (see text below) | |
Cordylidae is a family of small to medium-sized lizards. You can find them in southern and eastern Africa. People often call them girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards because of their unique appearance.
These lizards are related to another family called Gerrhosauridae, which also lives in Africa and Madagascar. Scientists group these two families together because they share many similar features.
Amazing Girdled Lizards: What They Look Like and What They Do
Girdled lizards are active during the day, which means they are diurnal. They are also insectivorous, meaning they love to eat insects!
These lizards live on land. They mostly hide in cracks and crevices in rocky areas. Some species are good at digging burrows, while others prefer to live under loose tree bark.
They have flat heads and bodies. A special feature is their tough armor. This armor is made of bony plates called osteoderms under their large, rectangular scales. These scales are arranged in neat rows all over their body and tail.
Many girdled lizards have rings of spines on their tails. These spines help them wedge themselves into tight hiding spots. They also make it harder for predators to grab them.
Most species have four legs. However, some lizards in the genus Chamaesaura are almost legless! They only have tiny spikes where their back legs should be.
When it comes to reproduction, some girdled lizards are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. Others are ovoviviparous, which means they give birth to live young. The babies hatch inside the mother's body before being born.
Different Kinds of Girdled Lizards
The Cordylidae family includes 10 different groups, called genera. Each genus contains different species of girdled lizards. Here are the names of these groups and their common names:
- Chamaesaura (Grass lizards)
- Cordylus (Girdled lizards)
- Hemicordylus (Cliff lizards)
- Karusasaurus (Karusa lizards)
- Namazonurus (Namaqua girdled lizards)
- Ninurta (Blue-spotted girdled lizard)
- Ouroborus (Armadillo girdled lizard)
- Platysaurus (Flat lizards)
- Pseudocordylus (Crag lizards)
- Smaug (Girdled lizards)
Images for kids
-
A grass lizard, Chamaesaura anguina
-
A black girdled lizard, Cordylus niger
-
A Cape cliff lizard, Hemicordylus capensis
-
A Karusa girdled lizard, Karusasaurus polyzonus
-
A Namaqua girdled lizard, Namazonurus peersi
-
A blue-spotted girdled lizard, Ninurta coeruleopunctatus
-
An armadillo girdled lizard, Ouroborus cataphractus
-
A relict flat lizard, Platysaurus relictus
-
A Drakensberg crag lizard, Pseudocordylus subviridis
-
A giant girdled lizard, Smaug giganteus
_(32796586262).jpg)
