| general
|
| description |
A large, stout
plated lizard, with a short head and large eyes. The animals
are yellow-brown on the upper surface; each scale is often
dark-centered, creating a speckled to striped effect.
The chin and throat are usually yellow or cream, and the
underside is grey to light brown. |
| distribution |
southeastern Africa, eastern
Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique
 
|
| adult
size |
12 - 16 inches |
| housing |
| natural
habitats |
Terrestrial; savanna and
steppe areas |
| cage |
A simple and easy-to-clean
cage is the best thing, specially for adults. It should
be large enough but does not need to be high because they
do not climb much. (e.g. Wooden
Terrarium, Glass
Terrarium) |
| substrate |
wood shavings, barks (e.g.
Repti Bark, Coconut
Bark), gravel, sand (e.g. Repti
Sand, Calci-Sand),
compressed paper granules (e.g. Good
Mews) |
| activity
period |
 Daytime (diurnal);
12
- 14 hours each day with direct natural sunlight or UV
lamp (e.g. ReptiSun 5.0,
UV Heat Bulb) |
| temperature |
35 - 38 ¢XC -- basking
spot (e.g. Basking
Spot Lamp)
26 - 28 ¢XC -- cooler area (e.g. Daylight
Blue Bulb)
23 - 25 ¢XC -- at night (e.g. Nightlight
Red Bulb, Infrared
Heat Lamp, Ceramic
Heat Emitter) |
| humidity |
low to mid |
| hiding
place |
Essential,
since it lives in burrows.
Possibllites include caves (e.g. Habba
Hut, Heat Cave), etc |
| water
bowl |
a large shallow water
bowl is needed for it to soak in and drink. |
| diet |
| diet |
Omnivorous |
| primary
food |
Insects, worms, grasshoppers,
crickets. Will take smaller lizards or new born mice as
well. |
| occasional
food |
various fruits, specially
the sweet and soft ones (e.g. Kiwis, passion fruits, mangos,
star fruits, strawberries, grapes, peaches, plums, etc) |
| notes |
Plated lizards
have a groove running laterally along the length of the
body. This groove contains skin that is not covered with
plated scales and allows for expansion. |
| reproduction |
| reproduction
|
Oviparous, lays 4 to 6
large oval eggs |
| misc |
| Interpretive
information |
Also known
as the African Plated Lizard (Grzimek) or Rough-Scaled
Plated Lizard (Branch's Field Guide). Since Great Plated
Lizard is the ISIS name for G. major that is what is being
used in zoo records. |
