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Sungazer II

Walter Oltmann
Sungazer II, 2021
Oil paint, crayon, oil stick and gold leaf on paper
Work: 50 x 102 cm

"I have seen sungazer lizards in real life in captivity but in the wild they are very shy creatures. This critically endangered animal is unique to southern Africa and lives in the grasslands of the northeastern Orange Free State, western Kwa-Zulu Natal and southern Gauteng. The common name for the lizard comes from its habit of basking on a rock or termite mound whilst facing the sun. It is mainly threatened due to habitat loss as a result of agriculture, mining and development, but the pet and muthi trades as well as insect and rodent control also contribute to its threatened status. I was drawn to include this endangered animal because of its armoured appearance. The sungazer lizard lives in burrows in the soil and if threatened, it retreats and inflates its body until it is jammed tightly against the burrow walls, making it almost impossible to extract. The genus name ‘Smaug Giganteus’ comes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s character in ‘The Hobbit’, the dragon encountered by Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of Tolkien’s book. According to Tolkien the name comes from the Old German verb smeugen – to squeeze through a hole. Like the type species, Smaug lived underground and was heavily armoured. Appropriately, Tolkien was born in the Free State Province, the core area where the sungazer lizards come from." - Walter Oltmann