These lizards, though seemingly popular worldwide on the internet, are actually a species native to the west coasts of South Africa. It is for this reason that most female Armadillo lizards only carry 1-2 babies at a time. They do not have umbilical cords like us, instead, the infant lizard mostly feeds on the yolk sac within the egg until it is strong enough to enter the world. Ovoviviparous animals still develop eggs but they are then stored internally while the young develop and hatch. This is rare amongst reptiles but not entirely uncommon. Armadillo lizards are not viviparous but are instead ovoviviparous. They are then cared for and protected until they hatch. This means that, while fertilization occurs inside the body, eggs are laid outside the body prior to hatching. The mating season occurs in late winter or early spring, with baby lizards emerging in April. They will usually return to their original group before having their offspring. They move from area to area, sometimes between social groups, and can mate with multiple males each time. Females, on the other hand, are not territorial. Within these large groups, male Armadillo lizards are territorial, which means they tend to stick to one home, one patch of land, and try to protect that area. Who knew lizards could have so much fun?! These Armadillo lizards live in large social groups of between 30-60 adult lizards at any one time. Of that, usually half is the tail, meaning their bodies are usually under 1.5 inches. In fact, 4 inches is considered a large size for an Armadillo Lizard, with females averaging around three inches and males roughly three-and-a-half inches. Don’t let those images of the rugged shell-like exterior fool you, as these guys and gals are coming in under the 4-inch mark. Though they are definitely not the smallest lizards on the planet – check out the Nano-Chameleon – this species truly are tiny. Have a read and learn everything you need to know about these cute little creatures. Since they are so new, we thought it might be good to pull together some interesting facts that you should know about Armadillo lizards. They are rather unknown in the West and have only recently come to our attention thanks to the cute images of them curled up in the palms of our hands. Due to their size, they are actually more of a hider than a fighter, despite their relatively scary close-up appearance. They get their name from their rugged-looking exterior, which makes their appearance comparable to that of an Armadillo, though they are not actually as hardy as their similarly-spiky friends. Armadillo lizards have recently taken the internet by storm due to their tiny size and spiky nature! They make for great photos and are truly fascinating to look at.
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