Armadillo Lizard

1 Overview

The armadillo lizard is mainly distributed across Africa, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Togo, Malawi, Congo, and South Africa. The largest individuals can reach 48 cm in body length. It prefers dry environments and is commonly found in tropical savanna.

Chinese Name: Cordylidae (girdled lizard family)

Alias: Armadillo Lizard

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

2 Physical Characteristics

The armadillo lizard is mainly found in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Togo, Malawi, and Congo. It favors dry conditions and can reach up to 48 cm in length. What does this savanna-dwelling lizard look like?

Total length is 30–40 cm, with a maximum of 48 cm. The belly scales are arranged longitudinally, in roughly 10 rows. The body scales look quite rigid and are shed periodically. The armadillo lizard inhabits dry tropical savanna, living in rock crevices among vegetation, and is diurnal (active by day).

3 Husbandry & Enclosure

The armadillo lizard favors tropical savanna and is commonly found in rock crevices surrounded by plants and in abandoned termite mounds. What should be considered when setting up its captive enclosure?

The armadillo lizard is hardy and can be kept under a 10.0 or 8.0 UVB lamp. Use bark, walnut shells, or wood shavings as substrate, keeping it dry, and provide a water bowl and a hide. A hide is not strictly essential but is preferable. A water dish, food bowl, and climbing structures are indispensable. If possible, add a retreat where the lizard can hide and rest. Lighting is essential: most armadillo lizards need ample sunlight to aid calcium absorption and digestion, so if natural light is insufficient you must provide UVB and UVA lamps. For species needing heat, add heating and thermoregulation equipment—preferably with a temperature controller. A humidity control device would be an added bonus.

4 Feeding

When keeping an armadillo lizard in captivity, deciding what to feed it is important, and many beginners find this challenging. The armadillo lizard is actually omnivorous, but that does not mean it can be fed just anything—feeding guidelines still matter.

Daily diet can include crickets, superworms, mealworms, and pinky mice; vegetables can also be offered, and the armadillo lizard is about as easy to keep as a blue-tongue skink. Note, however, that pinky mice should not be fed too often, as excess nutrition is not beneficial. Supplementing with calcium powder and a reptile multivitamin is ideal.