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Spinytail Lizard
The genus ''Cordylus'' (Sauria: Cordylidae) includes a wide variety of species of small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and ovoviviparous (live-bearing, without shelled eggs). Most species are rupicolous (rock-dwelling), while a few species are arboreal or live in burrows. They defend themselves with osteoderms (flat bony plates in the skin) and by quickly retreating into rock crevices or burrows. Many species live in groups, and males defend territories. Cordylids are generally listed under CITES Appendix II. They are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but trade is controlled to prevent overexploitation. Some species of ''Cordylus'' have limited ranges and may be threatened with habitat destruction or over collecting for the pet trade. Classification Broadley (2006) recognized 47 species in the genus ''Cordylus'', including eight species originally placed in the genus '' Pseudocordylus'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cordylus Tropidosternum
The East African armadillo lizard, dwarf sungazer, or tropical girdled lizard (''Cordylus tropidosternum'') is a species of arboreal or rupicolous (rock-dwelling) 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 (including tail). Males have slightly wider heads than females (The length of a male's head is about 1.25 times the width, whereas the l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemicordylus
''Hemicordylus'', the false girdled lizards, is a genus comprising two lizard species endemic to the Cape Fold Belt of southern South Africa. Description Their maximum snout-to-vent length is about 76 mm. They have gracile features, with a phenotype which is described as intermediate between typical ''Cordylus'' and the larger, more robust '' Pseudocordylus''. They have long limbs, and long slender digits. Some populations are melanistic and sexually dichromatic.''Hemicordylus'' resurrected: The melanistic populations have been shown to be ecotypes rather than relics in the related genus ''Karusasaurus''. Habits Their specialized adaptation to steep rock faces, is believed to have favoured their agility and lightly armored anatomy.Eifler et al., 2007; Janse van Rensburg, 2009; Janse van Rensburg et al., 2009 They give live birth to 1–3 young. Species * ''Hemicordylus capensis'' – false girdled lizard * ''Hemicordylus nebulosus ''Hemicordylus nebulosus'' is a spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Roy Branch
William Roy "Bill" Branch (12 May 1946, London, England – 14 October 2018, Port Elizabeth, South Africa) was a British-South-African herpetologist. Branch studied at the University of Southampton where he remained until completing his Ph.D. degree (''Studies on a foetal-specific alpha-globulin FPin the rabbit'' ). From 1972 he worked as a scientist in the Life Sciences Division of the Atomic Energy Board in Pretoria doing research on, inter alia, liver cancer, but returned to the University of Southampton in 1976 to take up a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Biology studying the synthesis of chemicals in the liver of foetal rabbits. He started working at Port Elizabeth Museum in 1979 and retired in 2011, when he was appointed as Research Associate and Curator Emeritus. Over a period of almost 40 years he conducted field work in about 20 African countries and played a major role in building up the large reptile and amphibian collections at the Museum. Pub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald George Broadley
Donald George Broadley (1932–2016) was an African herpetologist. He described as new to science 115 species and subspecies, and 8 genera and subgenera of reptiles. He was one of the founders of the Herpetological Association of Africa (initially the Herpetological Association of Rhodesia). He earned his doctorate at the University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ... in 1966.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Broadley", p. 39). His widow, Sheila Broadley, is also a herpetologist. Legacy Broadley is commemorated in the scientific names of eight species of reptiles: '' Afroedura broadleyi'', '' Atheris broadleyi'', '' Elapsoidea broadleyi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cordylus Beraduccii
''Cordylus beraduccii'', also known commonly as the Maasai girdled lizard, is a species of girdled lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is native to East Africa. Geographic range ''C. beraduccii'' is found in Kenya and Tanzania, where it lives in the Maasai plains from the Ngong Hills to Dodoma. Habitat The Maasai girdled lizard is a rock-dwelling species that tends to prefer rock outcroppings in savannas or temperate forests. Reproduction The Maasai girdled lizard reproduces both sexually and asexually. It is an ovoviviparous species, meaning that the female parent produces eggs that hatch in the body, resulting in a live birth. Usually 1-5 young are born. Captivity Because of the Maasai girdled lizard's timid behavior and ability to easily reproduce asexually in captivity, it is quite common in the pet trade. It is the second most common girdled lizard bred in captivity behind the East African spiny-tailed lizard (''Cordylus tropidosternum''), and both species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
José Vicente Barbosa Du Bocage
José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (2 May 1823 – 3 November 1907) was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museu Nacional de Lisboa in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs for Portugal. The zoology collection at the Lisbon Museum is called the Bocage Museum in his honor. Du Bocage was born in Funchal, Madeira. He studied at the University of Coimbra from 1839 to 1846. He became lecturer of the chair of Zoology at the Polytechnic School, Lisbon (later the Science Faculty of the University of Lisbon) in 1851, where he taught for more than 30 years. In 1858, he became also the scientific director and curator of Zoology of the Natural History Museum of the Polytechnic School. which was established as a support for the chair. His work at the Museum consisted in acquiring, describing and coordinating collections, many of whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cordylus Angolensis
The Angolan girdled lizard (''Cordylus angolensis''), also known as the Angolan spiny-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the genus ''Cordylus''. The species is endemic to Angola, as its names testify, and is ovoviviparous. Reproduction ''C. angolensis'' is ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ..., meaning females keep eggs inside their bodies until ready to hatch. References Further reading * Bocage JVB. 1895. ''Herpétologie d'Angola et du Congo''. Lisbon: ''Ministère de la Marine et des Colonies''. (''Imprimerie nationale'', printer). xx + 203 pp. + Plates I-XIX. (''Zonurus angolensis'', new species, pp. 24–25). (in French). Endemic fauna of Angola Cordylus Reptiles of Angola Reptiles described in 1895 Taxa named by José Vicente B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sensu Stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular concept, but it also appears in expressions that indicate the convention or context of the usage. Common qualifiers ''Sensu'' is the ablative case of the noun ''sensus'', here meaning "sense". It is often accompanied by an adjective (in the same case). Three such phrases are: *''sensu stricto'' – "in the strict sense", abbreviation ''s.s.'' or ''s.str.''; *''sensu lato'' – "in the broad sense", abbreviation ''s.l.''; *''sensu amplo'' – "in a relaxed, generous (or 'ample') sense", a similar meaning to ''sensu lato''. Søren Kierkegaard uses the phrase ''sensu eminenti'' to mean "in the pre-eminent r most important or significantsense". When appropriate, comparative and superlative adjectives may also be used to convey the meaning o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Uetz
Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Culture * Peter (actor) (born 1952), stage name Shinnosuke Ikehata, Japanese dancer and actor * ''Peter'' (album), a 1993 EP by Canadian band Eric's Trip * ''Peter'' (1934 film), a 1934 film directed by Henry Koster * ''Peter'' (2021 film), Marathi language film * "Peter" (''Fringe'' episode), an episode of the television series ''Fringe'' * ''Peter'' (novel), a 1908 book by Francis Hopkinson Smith * "Peter" (short story), an 1892 short story by Willa Cather Animals * Peter, the Lord's cat, cat at Lord's Cricket Ground in London * Peter (chief mouser), Chief Mouser between 1929 and 1946 * Peter II (cat), Chief Mouser between 1946 and 1947 * Peter III (cat), Chief Mouser between 1947 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reptile Database
The Reptile Database is a scientific database that collects taxonomic information on all living reptile species (i.e. no fossil species such as dinosaurs). The database focuses on species (as opposed to higher ranks such as families) and has entries for all currently recognized ~13,000 species and their subspecies, although there is usually a lag time of up to a few months before newly described species become available online. The database collects scientific and common names, synonyms, literature references, distribution information, type information, etymology, and other taxonomically relevant information. History The database was founded in 1995 as EMBL Reptile Database when the founder, Peter Uetz, was a graduate student at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. Thure Etzold had developed the first web interface for the EMBL DNA sequence database which was also used as interface for the Reptile Database. In 2006 the database moved to The Insti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smaug (lizard)
''Smaug'' is a genus of lizards in the family Cordylidae. The genus ''Smaug'' is a group of species of spiny southern African lizards, separated from the genus ''Cordylus'' in 2011 on the basis of a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Cordylidae. The type species is the giant girdled lizard, ''S. giganteus'' (formerly ''Cordylus giganteus''). Etymology The genus ''Smaug'' was named for the character Smaug, in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Hobbit'': Smaug is the name of the dragon encountered by Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's book ''The Hobbit''. According to Tolkien the name is derived from the Old German verb ''smeugen'' – to squeeze through a hole. Like the type species, Smaug lived underground and was heavily armored. Appropriately Tolkien was born in the Free State province, South Africa, the core area of distribution of the type species. The name is masculine. ''Zonurus'', the former genus name, is from Greek ''zōnē'' 'girdle' + ''oura'' 'tail'. Des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armadillo Girdled Lizard
The armadillo girdled lizard (''Ouroborus cataphractus''), www.reptile-database.org. also commonly known as the armadillo lizard, the armadillo spiny-tailed lizard, and the golden-armadillo lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to desert areas along the western coast of South Africa. In 2011, it was moved to its own genus based on molecular phylogeny, but formerly it was included in the genus ''Cordylus''. Description The armadillo girdled lizard can be a light brown to dark brown in coloration. The underbelly is yellow with a blackish pattern, especially under the chin. Its size can range from in snout-vent length (SVL). It may grow to a maximum size of SVL."''Cordylus cataphractus'' "Arkive Distribution and habitat ''O. cataphractus'' is endemic to the Succulent Karoo biome in the Northern and the Western Cape provinces of South Africa, where it occurs from the southern Richtersveld to the Piketberg Mountains and the southern Ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
