The Family Cordylidae consists of small to medium-sized, heavily armored lizards commonly known as girdled lizards or spinytail lizards, primarily found in sub-Saharan Africa. These lizards are characterized by robust bodies covered with spiny, keeled scales and rigid tails, which they use for defense by wedging themselves into rock crevices to avoid predators. Most Cordylids are diurnal and insectivorous, feeding on insects and other small invertebrates. They are ovoviviparous or viviparous, giving birth to live young, and are adapted to rocky, arid, or semi-arid habitats where their cryptic coloration and defensive morphology enhance survival.