The Transvaal grass lizard, also known as the coppery grass lizard and Transvaal snake lizard (''Chamaesaura aenea'')
is a species of lizard in the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
Chamaesaura
The ''Chamaesaura'', also known as grass lizards, are a genus of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa. The limbs are reduced to small spikes. Chamaesaura propel themselves like snakes, pushing against contact points in the environmen ...
. It is found in southern African grasslands and on slopes.
The Transvaal grass lizard is ovoviviparous.
The scientific name refers to its copper colour.
It was first described in 1843 by
Fitzinger (who named it Cricochalcis aenea), based on specimens at the Natural History Museum in Berlin that were collected in South Africa by
Ludwig Krebs.
[Aaron M. Bauer,]
Early German Herpetological Observations and Explorations of Southern Africa, with special reference to the Zoological Museum of Berlin
, ''Bonn Zoological Bulletin'', Volume 52, No. 3/4, November 30, 2004, p 205.
Distribution

The Transvaal grass lizard inhabits
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
,
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
, and
Eswatini
Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
.
It can be found in grasslands and on slopes and ridges.
Habits and breeding
This lizard is
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 ...
, meaning mothers carry eggs inside their bodies until they are ready to hatch.
Conservation
Neither the Southern African Red Data nor the
International Red Data list the Transvaal grass lizard. However, the Swaziland Red Data puts the lizard at Near Threatened levels.
Name
The scientific name of this lizard, ''Chamaesaura aenea'', is due to the lizard's copper color. ''Aenea'' is a
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word meaning "bronze" or "copper."
See also
*
Chamaesaura
The ''Chamaesaura'', also known as grass lizards, are a genus of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa. The limbs are reduced to small spikes. Chamaesaura propel themselves like snakes, pushing against contact points in the environmen ...
References
Chamaesaura
Reptiles of Lesotho
Reptiles of Eswatini
Reptiles described in 1843
Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger
Lizards of Africa
Reptiles of South Africa
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