Giant Girdled Lizard

Cordylus giganteus

The Giant Girdled Lizard is often referred to as the Sungazer. They get this name from their habit of sunbathing at the entrance to their burrows.

These lizards live in burrows which they dig themselves. Their preferred habitat is sandy grassland.

These are slow-breeding creatures. They have one or two offspring every two to three years.

Giant Girdled Lizards mainly feed on insects. Their spiky scales give them some protection from predators.

Unfortunately the numbers of these species are on the decline because of habitat loss and their slow breeding rate. To make this worse they are sold as pets despite it being illegal. They do not breed in captivity which means that all stock for the pet industry is smuggled out of South Africa.

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