Harman Patil (Editor)

Transvaal grass lizard

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Genus
  
Chamaesaura

Phylum
  
Chordata

Rank
  
Species

Family
  
Cordylidae

Scientific name
  
Chamaesaura aenea

Higher classification
  
Chamaesaura

Order
  
Scaled reptiles

Transvaal grass lizard httpsstaticinaturalistorgphotos938113mediu

Similar
  
Chamaesaura, Ukinga girdled lizard, Waterberg flat lizard, Ninurta coeruleopunctatus, Transvaal girdled lizard

The Transvaal grass lizard, also known as the Transvaal snake lizard, is a species of lizard in the genus Chamaesaura. It is found in southern African grasslands and on slopes. The Transvaal grass lizard is ovoviparous. The scientific name refers to its copper colour.

Contents

It was first described in 1843 by Fitzinger (who named it Cricochalcis aenea), based on specimens at the Natural History Museum in Berlin that were collected in South Africa by Ludwig Krebs.

Distribution

The Transvaal grass lizard inhabits South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It can be found in grasslands and on slopes and ridges.

Habits and breeding

This lizard is ovoviviparous, meaning mothers carry eggs inside their bodies until they are ready to hatch.

Conservation

Neither the Southern African Red Data nor the International Red Data list the Transvaal grass lizard. However, the Swaziland Red Data puts the lizard at Near Threatened levels.

Name

The scientific name of this lizard, Chamaesaura aenea, is due to the lizard's copper color. Aenea is a Latin word meaning "bronze" or "copper."

References

Transvaal grass lizard Wikipedia