Uromastyx acanthinura

(Bell, 1825)

Vernacular names
English : North African spiny-tailed lizard
French : Fouette-queue d’Afrique du Nord

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family : Agamidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to 43 cm in length for a weight of 450 g. Body is dorsally flattened. Tail also flattened and covered with spines. Small round head. Coloration green-yellow with black speckling. Black legs and sides of head.

Range and habitat
The species lives in North Africa, from Algeria to Egypt, south to Mauritania and Sudan. Most of its range lies within the Sahara desert. Lives in rocky and semi-rocky sandy desert areas.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is much less common than recently thought. Although its international trade is monitored, the species is still heavily trapped for local consumption and use for traditional medicine.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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