Black Girdled Lizard
Black Girdled LizardBlack Girdled LizardBlack Girdled LizardBlack Girdled Lizard

Black Girdled Lizard

Cordylus niger

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Table Mountain National Park
1,603 Verified records at Table Mountain National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Black Girdled Lizard sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 1,603 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

Cape Girdled Lizard
LC

Cape Girdled Lizard

🌙 Nocturnal Reptile

Cordylus cordylus

<5% · Rare
Cape Crag Lizard
LC

Cape Crag Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Pseudocordylus microlepidotus

10–20% · With luck
Cape Snake Lizard
LC

Cape Snake Lizard

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Chamaesaura anguina

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

40–50
Jan
40–50
Feb
40–50
Mar
40–50
Apr
40–50
May
30–40
Jun
20–30
Jul
30–40
Aug
40–50
Sep
50–60
Oct
40–50
Nov
40–50
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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
40–50%
2 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black Girdled Lizard in Table Mountain National Park?

About 44% of wildlife watchers report a Black Girdled Lizard sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 1,603 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black Girdled Lizard in Table Mountain National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Black Girdled Lizard in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

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