Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Judah

This Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard was found in Judah where I have seen them on a number of occasions before. The Lizards are a blue colour if not warmed up properly otherwise they reach a bright yellow colour. This one was close to a fence and could not run off because of it so we managed to get quite close before it ran along the ground next to the fence and under a gap it had made to the other side. Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.) is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India. The generic name (Uromastyx) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and mastigo (Μαστίχα) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of the species. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. 

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Jubail

Phil Roberts located an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard in Jubail when we were last birding there, a species I have seen here before but only once. The Lizards are a blue colour if not warmed up properly otherwise they reach a bright yellow colour. Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.)is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. Due to the poor weather and distance the photo is not of great quality.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Mahazat as-Sayd Protected

These Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards were found in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area and had made their burrows in a rough sandy gravel area. This is one of the best locations in the Kingdom to see the lizards as the area is fully fenced and protected. The Lizards are a blue colour if not warmed up properly otherwise they reach a bright yellow colour. Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.) is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India. The generic name (Uromastyx) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and mastigo (Μαστίχα) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of the species. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub' (Arabic:'‫ضب'). The main diagnostic character of the genus is the highly specialised tooth-like bony structure replacing the incisor teeth in the upper jaw in adults. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard can be distinguished from Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia by lacking enlarged tubercular scales scattered over the scalation of the flanks, having 149‑193 (mean 171.8) ventral scales rather than 126 – 158 (mean 142). Other features include a smaller scale size and more colourful yellow or greenish colour when warmed-up in adult specimens of Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard. It is distinguished from Uromastyx leptieni by a different juvenile colour pattern and a higher number of ventrals.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Wannan

Whilst searching the desert areas in the middle of summer we found an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard. I saw the lizard running very quickly across the stoney desert before if sat down to hide as it was too far from its burrow to make it back safely. I took a couple of photos before it ran off again, made it to its burrow and disappeared. This individual was bright yellow in colour as it had obviously spent time warming up in the hot sunshine as the temperature was 46 degreed Celsius. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepisoccurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Qariyat Al Ulya

Whilst birding Qariyat Al Ulya in spring I came across three Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning themselves by their holes. One individual shown below was not too scared and allowed close approach. As it was a yellow colour as it had obviously spent some time warming up in the sunshine. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. The bottom photo shows one of their holes they live in. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepisoccurs in the Eastern Province is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'. Unfortunately this species is declining in numbers and I am seeing it less commonly then ten wars ago.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard – Jebal Hamrah

Recently whilst driving around the flat stoney desert area near Jebal Hamrah I came across an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself by its hole. It was still quite cool as it was early morning and still a blue colour as they become yellow when they have heated up. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes, but are decreasing in numbers locally. Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx spp.is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepisis most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia.It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'. 

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard- Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm

Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili, in late August Phil spotted an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself by its hole. This individual was not too large but was a bright yellow colour as it had obviously spent some time warming up in the hot sunshine. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepisoccurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard – Jebal Hamrah

A few days ago I was walking around the flat stoney desert area near Jebal Hamrah when I came across an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself by its hole. It was still quite cool as it was a blue colour. They become yellow when they have heated up. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.) is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The generic name (Uromastyx) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and mastigo (Μαστίχα) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of the species. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia). It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'.

New born Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard – Record by Mansur Al-Fahad

The below photograph of a new born Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard was sent to me by Mansur Al Fahad who has kindly allowed me to use it on my website. The Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.) is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India. The generic name (Uromastyx) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and mastigo (Μαστίχα) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of the species. When cold they are a blue colour and when warm from sunbathing they turn a yellow colour  The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis) is common in Saudi Arabia and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia). It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub' (Arabic:'ضب').

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself – Dhahran Hills

A few days ago I was walking around the jebals when I cam across an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself on a rock. As I can from behind it I managed to get reasonably close before it noticed me and bolted down its hole. These lizards are relatively common in the camp and are widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx spp.) is a medium to large sized, heavily built lizard with a spiny club like tail, which has been likened to a small living dinosaur. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet including northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The generic name (Uromastyx) is derived from the Ancient Greek words ourá (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and mastigo (Μαστίχα) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of the species. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is most common in Saudi Arabia and is the one that occurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia). It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub' (Arabic:'‫ضب‬').

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard – Dhahran Hills

Whilst out birding the ‘patch’ with my daughters last weekend we came across an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sitting summing itself at the entrance to its burrow. The animals never move far from their holes so they can dart down them at any sign of trouble. This Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard or Dub as the locals call it has been living in the same burrow for almost the whole year although I have not seen it for the last couple of months at least. The colour of this one is quite yellow as it has warmed up in the sun as when the day starts and they first come out of their holes they are a blue-grey colour changing to yellow as the heat up.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard – Dhahran Hills

Now the temperature is hot again, the Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards are again becoming more obvious. They are large lizards reaching up to a metre in length and change colour as their body temperature increases starting off a blue grey colour when cold and turning brighter yellow as the get warmer. They are almost always found within a few metres of their burrows that are long and deep burrows under the ground where they can shelter from the heat and from enemies. They feed primarily on plants, that are to be found near their burrows and the best pace to see them is in the scrubby desert area when good substrate for digging burrows and plants to feed on can be found together. They are quite timid and if on foot it is very difficult to get near them, but in the car it is often possible to get very close as was the case with this individual. They are fabulous animals in my opinion and I always love seeing them when out birding.

A good showing of Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards – Dhahran Hills

The scrubby desert area has been very good for sightings of Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard this year. Normally I have only found a couple of active burrows of the animals, but this year I know where seven active sites are in the area. At least one of these has a very large lizard and it can be seen most evenings basking in the warm sun. The temperatures are still in the high 30’s °C or even low 40’s °C even at 16:30 hrs so the lizards like laying around at their burrow entrances during this period. They are shy if you are out walking as they take the shape of a human as danger, but if you are in he car they often allow very close approach. Out of the seven sites where the lizards are currently seen, one has been used for the three seasons I have been in Dhahran. Two different lizards are shown in the photographs below.

More Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards – Dhahran Hills

There have been very few birds about recently but the number of Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards seems to be increasing. Yesterday I saw four different animals and managed to photograph two of them. These two lizards show how the colour changes when they heat up turning from a blue grey colour to a bright yellow. Although I have seen plenty of the lizards recently I have yet to see one more than a metre away from its burrow, where they bolt to if disturbed. These burrows remain considerably cooler than the outside air temperature so they are also used as a refuge from the sun. The lizards enter the burrows headfirst, and the burrows have also been noted as refuges for a number of species of desert larks including Greater Hoopoe Lark although I have not seen this behaviour here in Dhahran.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards – Dhahran Hills

Whilst out birding I saw two different Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards in different places on the camp. The first one shown was quite a small one only about 50 centimetres long and was quite a dull colour. The second one was a much bigger animal, well over a metre long and was also a brighter colour. The first lizard was living in a small hole under a concrete slab whereas the larger lizard had a very big burrow on its own in the scrubby desert area. Now the temperatures are high the lizards are becoming much easier to see as they bask in the evening, or early morning sun to get warm. On foot they are very difficult to approach but let you get quite close if you remain in the car.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Dhahran Hills

Whilst driving to the spray fields I came across an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sitting outside it hole enjoying the last of the sunshine. I have not seen so many this year in the camp and this one was on the edge of the scrubby desert. Most of the lizards I have been have been in this area although their burrows are widely spaced apart. The lizard allowed close approach in the car but they always remain in close proximity of their burrows so they can disappear down them if danger occurs. This lizard was not a particularly large individual but probably measured 75 centimetres nose to tail tip. I then saw the same lizard a few days later and below are a few photographs of the animal taken on two different days.