Sungazer
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Endemic, SVL 150 - 180 mm, max SVL 205 mm
A very large girdled lizard. The nasals are separated by the rostral and the frontonasal. There are four very large, spiny occipitals. The dorsal scales are spiny, in 22 - 25 transverse and 10 - 12 longitudinal rows. There is a pair of enlarged preanal plates, and 10 - 12 femoral pores on each thigh. The tail has whorls of very large spines. The back is yellow to dark brown, and often extensively clouded with dark brown. The sides of the head, flanks and belly are pale yellow, sometimes with grey-brown infusions on the chest. Juveniles are more intensely marked, with irregular crossbars of red-brown on the back, and black and yellow bands with many orange to red scales on the tail. Biology and breeding : These terrestrial girdled lizards live in colonies in burrows that they dig in silty, fine soil. The burrows are usually 17 m apart, and approximately 420 mm deep and 1800 mm long. They end abruptly, without an enlarged chamber, and may become flooded during the rainy season. Most face north or northwest to catch the sun. Each burrow is usuaally occupied by a single individual, although adults will often share their burrow with juveniles;three species of small frogs also hibernate in winter in these burrows with the lizards. When a predator enters the burrow, the sungazer retreats backwards toward the mouth, lashing its spiny tail from one side to side. If grasped, it will jam its occipital spines into the tunnel roof. Sungazers are long-lived (longer than 20 years in captivity). They are often seen during the day, basking at the entrace to their burrows or on a termite mound, staring at the sun- hence the common name. They are sit-and-wait ambushers, and feed mainly on invertebrates(beetles, grasshoppers, millipedes, termites and spiders), although they will take small vertebrates if the opportunity arises. They are dormant during winter and rarely seen above ground from May to mid August. Their numbers are declining (SA RDB Vulnerable) due to habitat destruction ( maize and sunflower farming) and, to a limited extent, because of collecting for the pet trade. One or two babies, measuring 115-150 mm TL, are born in January-April, possibly every 2-3 years. Habitat : Flat or gently sloping Themeda grassland, or transitional zones. Range : Small, scattered populations in NE Free State, extreme W. KwaZulu- Natal and SE Mpumalanga.