Tropical girdled lizards are not flattened like the true armadillo Lizard ( Ouroboros cataphractus) and do not grasp their tail and roll into a ball for defense. The tropical girdled lizard is exported from Tanzania and Mozambique for the pet trade where it is commonly referred to as the “ armadillo lizard” or “ forest armadillo lizard or “ Jones's armadillo lizard”. The Ukinga girdled lizard has distinctive white lips, a small ridge over each eye (supraocular ridge), and the loreal scale is fused with the preocular scale (they are separate in C. tropidosternum is positioned in the lower posterior corner of the nasal scale). tropidosternum has keeled scales) and its nostril is in the center of the nasal scale (the nostril of C. Limpopo girdled lizards have smooth scales on the throat and belly ( C. Tropical girdled lizards are almost identical to the Limpopo girdled lizard ( Cordylus jonesii ) and the Ukinga girdled lizard ( Cordylus ukingensis). Males have slightly wider heads than females (The length of a male's head is about 1.25 times the width, whereas the length of a female's head is about 1.33 times the width.) and are aggressive toward other males of the same species. Adults are 160–190 mm (6.3–7.5 in) in total length (including tail). A conspicuous black stripe runs along each side of the neck from the ear to the shoulder. Tropical girdled lizards are brown above with dark brown and cream spots or thin dark bands. They lay down fat reserves in preparation for the dry season. tropidosternum ranges from the southern coast of Kenya to eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.ĭwarf sungazers are diurnal.
The preferred habitat of the East African spiny-tailed lizard is dry forests.Ĭ.