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  • Common name:

    Giant girdled lizard
  • ESF category:

    A
  • IUCN category:

    Vulnerable
  • CITES:

    INT - Appendix II
    EU - Appendix B
  • Studbook coordinators:

    Fraser Gilchrist
  • Register your animals

    To register your animals or if you have other questions, please contact the studbook coordinator.

Species Description

The sungazer (Smaug giganteus, syn. Cordylus giganteus), also known as the giant girdled lizard or giant dragon lizard or giant zonure, is the largest species of the Cordylidae, a family of lizards from Sub-Saharan Africa. This threatened species is endemic to Highveld grasslands in the interior of South Africa. In 2011, it was assigned to the new genus Smaug along with seven other species previously belonging to the genus Cordylus, based on a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Cordylidae.

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