Jordan’s Girdled Lizard

About the Jordan’s Girdled Lizard

Karusasaurus jordani, also known commonly as Jordan's girdled lizard and the Namibian girdled lizard, is a species of small, spiny lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to Namibia. The specific name, jordani, is in honor of German-born British entomologist Heinrich Ernst Karl Jordan.

K. jordani is found in central Namibia. The preferred natural habitat of K. jordani is rocky hillsides in savanna, at altitudes of 1,000–1,800 m (3,300–5,900 ft). Adults of K. jordani usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in), and maximum recorded SVL is 12.7 cm (5.0 in). The body is robust, not flattened. Adults are uniformly olive-brown, but juveniles are buff with dark crossbars. Males have only 5–8 femoral pores.

The mode of reproduction of K. jordani has been described as viviparous and as ovoviviparous. Parker HW (1936). "Dr. Karl Jordan's Expedition to South-West Africa and Angola: Herpetological Collections". Novitates Zoologica (Tring) 40: 115–146. (Zonurus jordani, new species, pp. 133–134).

FitzSimons VF (1943). The Lizards... Wikipedia →