The Little Dragons Of The Swellendam Mountains

The Little Dragons of the Swellendam Mountains

With International Mountain Day around the corner, it's a good time to appreciate some of the remarkable life that thrives among the rocky slopes above our town.

High up in the Swellendam mountains live some of our most charismatic little residents. Small, spiny creatures that look as though they've stepped straight out of a fantasy tale.

These little dragons of the mountains are none other than the girdled lizards. Girdled lizards (often called skurwejantjies in Afrikaans) are found only in southern Africa and belong to a family of lizards, the Cordylidae, that has called these mountains home for millions of years. Most species give live birth and are sit-and-wait predators perfectly built for life among the rocks. On a sunny day, they emerge to bask, but when danger approaches, they retreat in an instant, wedging themselves deep into a crevice. By wrapping their spiny tails in front of their bodies, they keep themselves safe from anything that tries to pull them out. Interestingly, girdled lizards are the only family of lizards that show a remarkable variation in the degree of body armour, a trait that makes them a fascinating group for researchers to study.

The Swellendam mountains are home to a surprising diversity of girdled lizards, each with its own story to tell.

The Cape girdled lizard (Cordylus cordylus) is the most common. A widespread species that occurs from sea level all the way up into the mountains. They occur on the lower slopes, but might even appear on garden walls and rocky outcrops.

Higher up, the Cape crag lizard (Pseudocordylus microlepidotus), a large species with powerful jaws and a bold temperament, shares its domain with the jet-black Cape cliff lizard (Hemicordylus capensis), an agile and territorial climber often seen scaling steep rock faces.

For the observant eye, there are two more elusive species to discover.

The Blue-spotted lizard (Ninurta caeruleopunctatus) resembles a young Cape cliff lizard, but a closer look reveals delicate blue speckles and, in the Swellendam Mountains, a striking yellow throat.

Finally, there's the secretive Grass lizard (Chamaesaura anguina), which has taken a very different path, an almost limbless, snake-like species that glides gracefully through restios and mountain scrub. So next time you're walking in Marloth Nature Reserve, whether it's up to Tienuurkop or all the way to Twaalfuurkop, take a moment to see what secrets the rocks might be keeping. Among the cracks and rocks, you might spot one of these little dragons, a small reminder of the wildlife here.

Written by: Chris Broeckhoven (SBC Committee member)
Lizard photos by Genevieve Diedericks.