Smaug Giganteus or Sungazer
First described in 1844 by the Scottish naturalist, Dr. Sir Alan Smith, this species is known by many different names such as; Sungazer, Giant Girdled Lizard, Zonure, Lord Derby’s Lizard or Ouvolk. Sungazers are endemic to South Africa and are synonymous with the gently sloping Themeda sp. grassland of the Highveld plateau.

Draco Volans or Flying Dragon
The flying lizard is found mainly in rain forests and tropical areas that can provide adequate number of trees for the lizard to jump from, in southern India and Southeast Asia. This includes the Philippine Islands as well as Borneo.

Smaug Giganteus (Sungazer)

Sungazers are heavily armoured lizards hence one of their common names, the Girdled Lizard. This is derived from the rows of ossified, bony scales along their body. These scales or osteoderms are heavily keeled and are arranged in uniform rings or girdles around the body. The name Ouvolk is from the ancient Afrikaans language spoken by early Dutch settlers and roughly translates into “Old Folk”, supposedly referring to its tendency of sitting at the entrance of the burrow facing the sun for many hours on end. Universally, the most commonly used name, Sungazer is also derived from this posturing. The name Zonure and Lord Derby’s Lizard have all but vanished from use.

Draco Volans (Flying dragon)