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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 {{lizard-stub