Cape Grass Lizard
Encyclopedia
The Cape Grass Lizard, also known as the Cape Snake Lizard or the Highland Grass Lizard, is a species of lizard in the genus
Chamaesaura
. It widely found in southern Africa, inhabiting grasslands. In one of the countries it lives in, Swaziland
, it is listed as a Near Threatened species.
The Cape Grass Lizard is ovoviviparous. A discovery has shown females are not breeding at the same time in a year.
This lizard has three subspecies
. They are the C. a. anguina, the C. a. oligopholis, and the C. a. tenuior.
, Swaziland
, Angola
, Kenya
, Tanzania
, Mozambique
, the Republic of the Congo
, and Uganda
. The grasslands that the Cape Grass Lizard inhabits often have wildfire
.
.
do not mention the Cape Grass Lizard. However, the Swaziland Red Data has the lizard listed as Near Threatened. The Transvaal Grass Lizard
is also listed as a Near Threatened species.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Chamaesaura
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. The elongate shape and lack of limbs allows them to "swim" through grass...
. It widely found in southern Africa, inhabiting grasslands. In one of the countries it lives in, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, it is listed as a Near Threatened species.
The Cape Grass Lizard is ovoviviparous. A discovery has shown females are not breeding at the same time in a year.
This lizard has three subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. They are the C. a. anguina, the C. a. oligopholis, and the C. a. tenuior.
Distribution
The Cape Grass Lizard is widely distributed in the grasslands of southern Africa. It has been reported in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. The grasslands that the Cape Grass Lizard inhabits often have wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
.
Breeding
The Cape Grass Lizard is ovoviviparous, meaning eggs will stay inside the mother until they are ready to hatch. The average clutch size is three to seventeen eggs. A discovery has revealed that females are breeding throughout the year. This adaptation is probably to prevent the total loss of reproductive gain in a year due to fire.Subspecies
The Cape Grass Lizard has three known subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
- C. a. anguina - This subspecies was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
- C. a. tenuior - In 1895, Albert C. L. G. GüntherAlbert C. L. G. GüntherAlbert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther , was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist....
described this subspecies.
- C. a. oligopholis - LaurentLaurentLaurent is most commonly a French male first name, although it can sometime be a surname.The name was derived from the Roman surname Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was an ancient Roman city of Latium situated between Ostia and Lavinium, on the west coast of the Italian...
described this subspecies in 1964.
Conservation
The Southern African Red Data and the IUCN Red ListIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
do not mention the Cape Grass Lizard. However, the Swaziland Red Data has the lizard listed as Near Threatened. The Transvaal Grass Lizard
Transvaal Grass Lizard
The Transvaal Grass Lizard, also known as the Transvaal Snake Lizard, is a species of lizard in the genus Chamaesaura. It is found in southern African grasslands and on slopes. The Transvaal Grass Lizard is ovoviparous. The scientific name is Chamaesaura aenea, due to the copper color of the...
is also listed as a Near Threatened species.