Van Dam's girdled lizard


Van Dam's girdled lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa.

Geographic range

The type locality of S. vandami is Gravelotte, Limpopo, South Africa.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of S. vandami are grassland and savanna.

Description

A large lizard, S. vandami may attain a snout-vent length of. It has a triangular shaped head, and spiny dorsal scales. The predominant colour is dark brown with fragmented yellow rings.

Behaviour

S. vandami is largely solitary and hides in cracks in rocks.

Reproduction

S. vandami is ovoviviparous. From two to six young are born alive in summer.

Etymology

The species is named for the collector of the type specimens, Gerhardus Petrus Frederick van Dam, who was a South African herpetologist.

Common names

Other common names for S. vandami include the Afrikaans name ouvolk, meaning "old folk".