Armadillo Girdled Lizards - Bite Their Own Tails.
- bioworld090
- Jun 11, 2023
- 3 min read
INTRODUCTION
Armadillo lizards (Ouroborus cataphractus), also known as Armadillo girdled, Armadillo spiny-tailed and golden-armadillo lizards, are a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. They were originally placed in the genus Cordylus but since 2011 they are in the genus Ouroborus. The species is popularly known for its unusual behavior of biting its own tail.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Armadillo-girdled lizards are stocky, light brown to dark brown in color with broad, triangular heads and flattened bodies. These animals typically get 7.5-9 cm in length but can get as big as 10.5 cm. Males are larger and have more femoral pores than females. The dorsal side of their neck, back and tail is covered with hard, spiny scales called osteoderms. The scales present on the body give them a dragon-like appearance and hence, they are sometimes called “mini dragons”.
HABITAT & DISTRIBUTION
Armadillo-girdled lizards are endemic to South Africa. They are found along the west coast of South Africa, from the Orange River in the north to the Piketberg Mountains in the south, and as far inland as Matjiesfontein in the western Karoo Basin. Here, they inhabit the velds, a type of vegetation in South Africa characterized by sparse vegetation consisting of grass and scrubs. They live in the crevices of the rocks found in the velds.
LIFESPAN
Armadillo lizards live pretty long. They usually live 20-25 years in captivity.
DIET
The diet of armadillo lizards consists mostly of insects such as harvester termites, beetles, millipedes, scorpions, etc. They may also consume plant materials such as leaves and fruits. They most commonly prey upon harvester termites, particularly Microhodotermes viator and Hodotermes mossambicus.
THE TAIL-BITING BEHAVIOR
Armadillo lizards are known for their unusual behavior of biting their own tails. But why do these animals bite their own tails? Is there any benefit to this or is it a self-harming behavior?
At first, it might seem like some sort of self-harming behavior but in reality, it is just a defensive behavior. Also, the term “tail-biting” may not be the most accurate way to describe this behavior as they do not really bite their tail but actually just hold it in their mouth. This is their go-to defense mechanism against a threat or when stressed. They hold their tail, which is almost as long as their body length, in their mouth and curl up in a ball. But how does curling in a ball help them in defense?
Remember those spiny scales that cover these lizards from neck to tail? When these animals curl up, they expose these spiny scales or osteoderms and protect their soft underside. The osteoderms make it difficult for predators to handle armadillo lizards and eat them. The curled-up position also makes them bigger and difficult to be swallowed.
While this tail-biting defensive behavior is pretty common in armadillo lizards, they also have some other ways to defend themselves. These animals possess strong and powerful jaws that can sever the toes and limbs of competitors and some predators. Also, these lizards can autotomize or break off their tails when threatened to distract or surprise attackers, but this is done only when they are extremely stressed or nothing else works.
OTHER UNIQUE BEHAVIORS
The tail-biting behavior is not the only thing that makes armadillo-girdled lizards unique, they also have some other behaviors that set them apart from other lizards, or at least most of them.
THE SOCIAL LIZARDS
Unlike most other lizard species that are solitary, armadillo lizards are social lizards. They can live in groups consisting of 2-60 individuals but typically live in a group of 2-6 individuals. The individuals within a group share the same shelter and do not necessarily consist of members of the same family as inter-group movement is common in these lizards.
The males are extremely territorial and therefore, the chances of male-male aggression are pretty high. However, the aggression between the males of a group is much lower towards each other than the aggression shown to a male of another group.
THE UNUSUAL REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR
The breeding season of armadillo lizards starts in September and both the males and females mate with multiple partners. After a couple of months, the females give birth to live young ones, unlike other lizard species that lay eggs. The females usually give birth to 1 hatchling but sometimes, on very rare occasions, they can give birth to 2 hatchlings. Also, they take care of their newborn hatchlings and nurse them.
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