Showing off his capture of the “baby dragon”, the expert shouted: “Release it now!”

The man discovered a small creature with a body full of spikes, looking exactly like a small dragon on the rock. It is known that this is one of the most strange animals in the rocky plains of South Africa.

Found in the crevices of the Succulent Karoo, the armadillo lizard (Ouroborus cataphractus) is a creature whose appearance is both distinctive and adorable.

This lizard is a small sized reptile and has a variety of colors from brown to light yellow brown. However, their most unique attribute is their spiky skin.

Armadillo lizards are covered with sharp spines, except for the lower abdomen. This makes the lizard’s underside vulnerable to damage from predators.

Because of that weakness, this strange animal has developed an equally different form of defense: curling up into a ball when threatened, revealing only the outside like an armored car.

Armadillo lizards will curl up when attacked by natural enemies such as birds, snakes and mongooses. When needed, they can stay in this position for up to an hour.

The Armadillo lizard is one of the few lizards that does not lay eggs and only gives birth to one or two offspring per year. Another characteristic of this strange creature is its general habitat.

They are social animals and therefore prefer to live and protect each other in large groups. However, the biggest threat to this lizard is humans.

The reptile’s small size, distinct appearance, and calm demeanor have made it a popular item on the pet market, especially on black markets, although trade in this lizard considered illegal.

A group of wildlife traders was busted for illegally possessing and transporting 48 armadillo lizards. The criminals were sentenced to 1 million South African Rand (equivalent to 70,000 USD) or 13 years in prison.