A lizard belonging to a family of small to medium-sized reptiles found primarily in Africa and characterized by keeled scales and ground-dwelling habits.
From Greek 'gerrhon' (shield) + 'sauros' (lizard), referring to the shield-like scales on these reptiles. The family name reflects their armor-like appearance.
Gerrhosaurids have scales arranged like a medieval knight's armor, and this arrangement actually helps them 'swim' through sand like it's water—some species are so specialized for sand life they can't move properly on regular ground.
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