Black Girdled Lizard
Cordylus niger
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyCordylidae (Girdle-tail Lizards)
- GenusCordylus
- SpeciesCordylus niger (Black Girdled Lizard)
Cordylus niger, the black girdled lizard, is a medium-sized lizard restricted to Table Mountain on the Cape Peninsula and a second, isolated population near Langebaan. Black girdled lizards inhabit rocky outcrops on Table Mountain, South Africa. Unlike many other lizard species in the area, these particular Cordylus lizards are not social and are usually seen alone. They are spiny, flat, and pitch black in colour. Their colour helps these unique lizards to absorb sufficient heat from the sun, in what is one of the darkest, least sunny parts of South Africa. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Kruger National Park
Limpopo Girdled Lizard
Cordylus jonesii
Common Flat Lizard
Platysaurus intermedius
Highveld Crag Lizard
Pseudocordylus melanotus
Barberton Girdled Lizard
Smaug barbertonensis
Van Dam’s Girdled Lizard
Smaug vandami
Warren's Girdled Lizard
Smaug warreni
Sekukhune flat lizard
Platysaurus orientalis
Cape Snake Lizard
Chamaesaura anguina
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Black Girdled Lizard at Kruger National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |