Thanks for the update Otter Lord. There is a weather chart on my web site ( link below ) which gives information on annual cycles. I think the best way ( maybe the only way ) to initiate breeding with Sungazers is to have a winter brumation period. Best Regards, Fraser Gilchrist Cordylusgiganteus.com Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer ----------------------------------------------------- European Studbook Foundation European Studbook Foundation Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus
Does anyone know how much they have been studied in the wild? It doesn't seem like there is much information on the internet about them. Also did they used to be more popular in the pet trade?
In all honesty, i don't think they have been studied in any great detail. I could be wrong, but while i was conducting my research for my web site, i found very little scientific information about their natural life cycle. I hope to visit South Africa early next year to help not only to further my own understanding of the habitat and pressures the Sungazer faces in the wild but to answer some of the questions i have about the species such as: What is the temperature difference between the surface temperature and that down a Sungazer burrow? & We know they live in colonies but how do they prevent inbreeding? Do young males, or maybe even females, go off in search of a new colony. Much the same way as male lions go off in search of a new pride. Sungazers used to be imported in large numbers both into Europe and the States. Their husbandry was poorly understood and most died within a year or two of being imported. This was usually down to them being kept like Uromastyx lizards i.e. hot and dry. Captive breeding was virtually unheard of, barring a pregnant female being imported, i believe this was due to the fact that they were not provided with a brumation period. For me, replication of an animals natural environment is the single most important factor in maintaining a species successfully in captivity. Lets face it, they have been doing it unaided, by humans, for millions of years!! Best Regards, Fraser Gilchrist www.cordylusgiganteus.com Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer ----------------------------------------------------- European Studbook Foundation www.studbooks.eu Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus
I can check if we can find any info in the various herpetological magazines pertaining to captive-breeding of Cordylidae. An informative site: Cordylidae - Girdled Lizards, Grass Lizards, Crag and Flat Lizards
That would be great if you could find any information. Best Regards, Fraser Gilchrist Cordylusgiganteus.com Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer ----------------------------------------------------- European Studbook Foundation European Studbook Foundation Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus
It would be great to hear some first hand information on what they are like in the wild. To replicate their environment indoors I can imagine one would need quite a bit of indoor space. Do by chance know of what there average group sizes in the wild are?
I have asked exactly the same question regarding local populations. The answer i recieved was that the population was determined more by suitable habitat, which is at a premium, rather than natural population dynamics. Best Regards, Fraser Gilchrist www.cordylusgiganteus.com Exchange information and observations on the Sungazer ----------------------------------------------------- European Studbook Foundation www.studbooks.eu Studbook keeper for the Cordylus giganteus
By searching for something completly different, I came along an intresting piece of information about an early birth in captivity of this species. In 1913 a Dr. Broom ( connected with the Zoological Society of London ? ) recieved a female Sungazer which had given birth to two young during her journey from South Africa to London. All 3 were placed on display at the London Zoo and information and a plate ( screen-picture can be found here : Sungazer with young | ZooChat ) were published at the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1913, pp. 548.
