East African spiny-tailed lizard
The East African armadillo lizard, dwarf sungazer, or tropical girdled lizard is a species of arboreal or rupicolous lizard endemic to East Africa.
Habitat
The preferred habitat of the East African armadillo lizard is dry forests.Geographic range
C. tropidosternum ranges from the southern Kenya through Tanzania and Malawi to southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, northeast Zimbabwe and Mozambique.Behavior
Dwarf sungazers are diurnal. They lay down fat reserves in preparation for the dry season.Description
Tropical girdled lizards are brown above with dark brown and cream spots or thin dark bands. A conspicuous black stripe runs along each side of the neck from the ear to the shoulder. The lips, throat, and belly are cream. The tail is very spiny. Adults are in total length. Males have slightly wider heads than females and are aggressive toward other males of the same species. Both sexes have femoral pores.Tropical girdled lizards are almost identical to the Limpopo girdled lizard and the Ukinga girdled lizard. Limpopo girdled lizards have smooth scales on the throat and belly and its nostril is in the center of the nasal scale. The Ukinga girdled lizard has distinctive white lips, a small ridge over each eye, and the loreal scale is fused with the preocular scale.