Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Family Cordylidae Scientific name Cordylus niger | Phylum Chordata Order Squamata Genus Cordylus Rank Species | |
Similar Cordylus cordylus, Transvaal girdled lizard, Lang's crag lizard, Warren's girdled lizard, Cordylus | ||
Feeding a wild black girdled lizard cordylus niger in the garden
Cordylus niger, the black girdled lizard, is a medium-sized lizard restricted to Table Mountain on the Cape Peninsula and a second, isolated population near Langebaan.
Black girdled lizards inhabit rocky outcrops on Table Mountain, South Africa. Unlike many other lizard species in the area, these particular Cordylus lizards are not social and are usually seen alone. They are spiny, flat, and pitch black in colour.
Their colour helps these unique lizards to absorb sufficient heat from the sun, in what is one of the darkest, least sunny parts of South Africa.
References
Cordylus niger Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA