Karoo girdled lizard  (Cordylus polyzonus)

Listed on Appendix II of CITES (1).

This spiny, yet attractive lizard is a characteristic feature of many rocky outcrops in arid parts of South Africa. Heavily armoured, thick scales run down the back and tail, with sharp spines protecting the soft, vulnerable underparts from potential predators (3). Colouration in adult Karoo girdled lizards varies greatly between regions, and individuals may display turquoise, olive-brown, or reddish-brown patterning, while black morphs occur in coastal regions (3) (4). However, 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, but equally attractive, with prominent dark-brown banding on a yellow-brown body, checked with cream (3).   

The Karoo girdled lizard possibly has the widest range of any  cordylid, and is found throughout the Karoo region of western South Africa, northwards, into southern Namibia (3).   

The Karoo girdled lizard inhabits rocky outcrops in semi-desert areas, with succulent karroid and renosterveld vegetation, characteristic of the Karoo region. It typically inhabits lower altitudes within its range (3).

Highly conspicuous during the day, this diurnal lizard can be seen basking on rocky outcrops, soaking up the sunlight to heat its body (5) (6). Hampered by the weight of the body armour, the Karoo girdled lizard moves slowly, making it vulnerable to predation and, as a result, individuals never stray far from the protection of a rocky crevice (5). If a predator is sighted, it will retreat into a defensive cavity, and the spiny tail will curl around the body, presenting an impregnable defensive barricade to the predator. 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. However, juveniles are more active foragers, and will travel further in search of food (3). 

Unusually for a lizard, the Karoo girdled lizard is gregarious, and small groups will occupy the same rocky outcrop. Individuals may hibernate during the winter in a tunnel dug in the soil beneath a boulder, before the breeding season commences in late spring (3). The Karoo girdled lizard is ovoviviparous, meaning fertilised eggs are retained inside the female’s body, and the female gives birth to between one and five live young in late summer (7).

In common with other cordylids, the attractive Karoo girdled lizard is a sought after pet species. As it is a relatively slow moving animal that can be easily located and collected from rocky outcrops, it is particularly vulnerable to overexploitation, and it may be threatened by illegal collection. However, at present, it is unclear how detrimental an effect this may be having on the population (3).

There are no specific conservation measures in place for the Karoo girdled lizard, but it is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that international trade in this species must be carefully monitored (1) (3). 

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

For more information on the Karoo girdled see:

• Branch, B. (1998) Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Ralph Curtis Books Publishing, Florida.