
Friday 25 January
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Reptilia |
Order | Squamata |
Family | Lacertidae |
Genus | Acanthodactylus (1) |
Owing to its superficial similarity to its larger congener, Acanthodactylus boskianus, the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard was only officially described in 1980 (2). As its name suggests, this species has a particularly long tail (3), and, in common with other Acanthodactylus species, the toes are fringed with scales adapted for running over loose sand (4) (5). Like other lacertids, the body is long and cylindrical, and the legs are well developed (4). The basic body colour is grey, with seven dark stripes running down the back and sides (2), and a tail tinged red in immatures (3).
There is very little information available on the biology of the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard. However, this diurnal lizard reportedly lives in burrows excavated out of hard sand. Remaining concealed for all but a few hours of the day, the burrows not only act as a shelter from predators but also provide refuge from extreme temperatures (6).
The snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).
There are not thought to be any major threats to the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard at present, although overgrazing of its habitat may be a concern in some parts of its range (1).
There are no known specific conservation measures currently in place for the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard, but it occurs in a number of protected areas, which may offer it some protection (1).
To learn more about reptile conservation visit:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk
Image credit
© Chinthaka Wijesinghe
Chinthaka Wijesinghe
No 107/1, Ruhumu Mw
Bangalawatta
Kottawa
Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 (92) 691539
beluga0077@yahoo.com
http://imagepro.photography.com/beluga
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This species is featured in:
This species is featured in Jewels of the UAE, which showcases biodiversity found in the United Arab Emirates in association with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.