''Karusasaurus jordani'', also known commonly as Jordan's girdled lizard and the Namibian girdled lizard, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of small, spiny

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cordylidae Cordylidae is a family of small- to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards. Cordylidae is closely related to the family Gerrhosaurida ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''jordani'', is in honor of German-born British entomologist Heinrich Ernst Karl Jordan.

Geographic range

''K. jordani'' is found in central Namibia.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of ''K. jordani'' is rocky hillsides in

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, at altitudes of .

Description

Adults of ''K. jordani'' usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , and maximum recorded SVL is . The body is robust, not flattened. Adults are uniformly olive-brown, but juveniles are buff with dark crossbars. Males have only 5–8

femoral pores Femoral may refer to: *Having to do with the femur *Femoral artery * Femoral intercourse *Femoral nerve *Femoral triangle *Femoral vein In the human body, the femoral vein is the vein that accompanies the femoral artery in the femoral sheath ...

. Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa'' Third Revised edition, Second Impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing. 399 pp. . (''Cordylus jordani'', p. 193 + Plate 69).

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of ''K. jordani'' has been described as

viviparous In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...

and as

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparity, oviparous and live-bearing viviparity, viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develo ...

Etymology

Geographic range

Habitat

Description

Reproduction

References

Further reading