Gerrhosaurus is a member of Scleroglossa (see also Varanus, Lanthanotus), one of the two major squamate clades (the other being Iguania, e.g., Ctenosaura, Phrynosoma).
The cranial osteoderms in this group have long hampered the study of their cranial bones, and it is difficult to remove the osteoderms that actually coossify with the dorsal cranial bones without damaging the skull.
There is a transparent "window" in the lower eyelid, an adaptation that (again) is sometimes found in skinks, and the occasional lacertid.
In scalation it differs from the other Gerrhosauridae in lacking the shields anterior to the frontal shield on the head.
Any eggs laid thereafter should be removed as they tend to dry out quickly: the young should be raised individually as they are quite aggressive towards one another.
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