This position protects the soft underside of the lizard, which is its most vulnerable area. Rows of spiny osteodermate scales covering the neck, body, tail, and limbs deter predators from seizing or swallowing these lizards. When threatened, they curl up, grip the tail in their jaws, and form a tight, armored ball, resembling an armadillo. ( Els, 2008 Patterson, 1987)Īrmadillo lizards are named for their appearance when in a defensive position.
These lizards inhabit large cracks in rocky outcrops. This habitat is characterized by sparse vegetation dominated by dwarf, perennial shrubs. ( Branch, 1998 Els, 2008 Patterson, 1987 Shuttleworth, 2007)Īrmadillo lizards inhabit karroid veld, a vegetation type that is normally found in the semi-desert Karoo region of South Africa. Cordylus cataphractus (armadillo lizard or armadillo girdled lizard) is found along the west coast of South Africa, from the Orange River in the north (Little Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province) to the Piketberg Mountains in the south, and as far inland as Matjiesfontein in the western Karoo Basin.
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