Cordylus jonesii
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Limpopo girdled lizard (Cordylus jonesii), also known commonly as Jones's armadillo lizard and Jones's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is indigenous to Southern Africa. The specific name, jonesii, is in honor of a "Mr. C. R. Jones" who collected the holotype. The common name, Limpopo girdled lizard, refers to the type locality, which is the Murchison Range in Limpopo.
Cordylus jonesii is found on both sides of South Africa's border with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. The Limpopo girdled lizard is arboreal and inhabits dry forests, especially mopane woodland, where it hides under loose bark and in hollow tree limbs.
Cordylus jonesii preys upon winged termites, ants, and moths. Cordylus jonesii is ovoviviparous. Litter size is usually two young, but may be as many as four. The dorsal pattern of Cordylus jonesii varies from red to brown to gray, with dark spots or lines. On some individuals, the lines fuse into a black-bordered white stripe along the midline of the back. The Limpopo girdled lizard has a distinct... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Limpopo Girdled Lizard sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 62 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Limpopo Girdled Lizard in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Limpopo Girdled Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Limpopo Girdled Lizard sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Limpopo Girdled Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kruger National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
