Gerrhosauridae (Gerrhosaurs)

Family Gerrhosauridae (Gerrhosaurs) The family Gerrhosauridae includes 35 species.

Distribution: southern Africa and Madagascar. Gerrhosaurs are lizards with a glossy coloration; their bodies are covered with large scales arranged in regular longitudinal and transverse rows. The large, symmetrically arranged shields covering the head are very similar in size and shape to those of true lizards. They are associated with different biotopes, although inhabitants of arid and semi-arid habitats predominate; forest and semi-aquatic forms also occur. The family Gerrhosauridae is a small group of African species that, in several traits, occupies an intermediate position between skinks and true lizards. They are linked with the former by a similarly structured bony armor formed by plates underlying the horny scales, and with the latter by several shared features of skull structure, tooth arrangement and shape, and by the presence of longitudinal rows of femoral pores on the thighs. Gerrhosaurus skoogi Gerrhosaurus flavigularis Zonosaurus haraldmeieri 1. Higher Taxa in Extant Reptiles 2. Vitt L.J., Caldwell J.P. Herpetology.

An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. — Academic Press, 2009.

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THE REPTILE DATABASE