A large lizard with a flattened head and body. The dorsal scales are small with many ridges which give the back edges a serrated appearance.
Lower eyelid is covered with small scales.
There are black rubber-like balls on the soles of the feet. The throat is dirty white, and the belly is light brown. In breeding season, the chin, throat and sides of the head of the males become tinged with pink-purple. Weathered rocky knolls in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, with one subspecies in Namibia and southern Angola. In parts of Arabia, they are becoming increasingly dependent on raiding crops and garbage dumps.