Sungazers:
The dragons among us
T
he unique and scarce
Sungazer lizard (Smaug
giganteous), also known as
Sonkyker, Ouvolk or Giant
Girdled Lizard is only found in certain parts of South Africa, and nowhere else on the planet.
Known in their scientific name as
“Smaug” as of 2011, from the well
known author of The Lord of the
Rings J.R. Tolkien (born in the Free
State) who was said to have based
his mythological dragon character
“Smaug” on the wonderful Sungazer lizards he encountered as a child.
As I am sure you have guessed the
name “Sungazer” comes from the
way the lizard sits at the entrance of
its burrow, staring at the sun. This is
a very important part of any lizards’
day, as direct sunlight is crucial for
the absorption of vitamin D.
These animals live in burrows about
40cm beneath the central grassland
area of South Africa in small, scattered concentrations. They rely on
certain types of soil, as well as the
right climate and temperature conditions to survive and reproduce.
This fascinating creature is what we
call viviparous, meaning it gives live
birth to its young. There have been
reports of them showing parental
instincts with their offspring.
Sungazer populations grow incredibly slowly, due to the fact that they
only breed once every 2-3 years and
give birth to around three young at
a time.
Sungazers have a dragon-like appearance, with a large crown of
spikes on their heads and sharp,
hard, spiny backward-facing scales
covering their bodies. These spikes
act like a ratchet, helping them anchor themselves in their small burrows when predators attempt to
catch them. Reaching up to 40cm in
length, these lizards are the largest
of the Girdled Lizard family and can
live for longer than 20 years. Their
diet consists mainly of beetles, ants
and other small insects.
Sadly, these magnificent lizards are
under serious threat of extinction.
The main threat to these animals is
the destruction of their habitat,
with the increasing size of farmland
and mining activities in this already
threatened grassland area. Once
By
Article & Photos by
Tim Vorster & Kiki Bouvier
CAPE TOWN SNAKE PARK
grasslands have been cultivated, the
surviving Sungazers leave the area,
away from the safety of their burrows, spelling their ultimate doom.
The population of Sungazers that
remain are in small concentrated
pockets separated from other
Sungazer gene pools by huge tracks
of uninhabitable farmland, mines
and other human activity.
Another huge threat to this species
is poaching; these animals are
amongst the most sought after pet
lizards in Europe. There have been
no official reports as of yet that anyone has successfully bred these animals in captivity, so it is fair to say
that most of these lizards are sadly
wild caught.
What is being done to protect
and conserve the Sungazer?
There are many organisations and
individuals working together to educate people, highlighting the
threats of poaching and overutilization of our natural resources
(Sungazer habitat); as well as protecting the animals and their habitat and trying their best to stop
poaching in its tracks.