Cordylidae

Cordylidae is a family of lizards native to sub-Saharan Africa. Its members include girdled lizards and related forms, many with armored scales and spiny tails.

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Squamata: The reptile order containing lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians. Cordylidae is one lizard family within this larger reptile order.
Armadillo girdled lizard: A South African cordylid that curls into a ball and grips its tail when threatened. This species displays the family’s armor and a distinctive defensive posture.
Giant girdled lizard: A large rock-dwelling cordylid native to southern Africa, also known as the giant plated lizard. Its size and heavy armor exemplify the family’s most conspicuous adaptations.
Gerrhosauridae: A family of African lizards that includes plated lizards and gerrhosaurids. It is a separate African family of armored lizards often compared with cordylids.
Lizard: A reptile belonging to the diverse group commonly called lizards, within the order Squamata. Cordylids are lizards, sharing the group’s basic body plan and evolutionary ancestry.
Sungazer: A large, burrow-dwelling cordylid endemic to grasslands in South Africa’s Highveld. Its life in open grassland contrasts with rock-dwelling habits common among cordylids.
Common girdled lizard: A southern African cordylid associated with rocky habitats and crevices. It is a familiar example of the family’s rock-dwelling species.
Scincidae: A large family of lizards commonly known as skinks. Skinks are another widespread lizard family, but generally lack cordylids’ heavy armor.
Osteoderm: A bony deposit formed within the skin of some vertebrates. Osteoderms reinforce the skin armor beneath scales in several cordylid species.
Rock crevice: A narrow opening between rocks that can provide shelter for animals. Many cordylids use rock fissures as refuges and retreat into them when threatened.