Egyptian mastigure, Leptien's mastigure
The Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) is a species of lizard found only in North Africa and the Middle East. It has a patchy distribution and is rare in most parts of its range.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withEgyptian spiny-tailed lizards are one of the largest members of the genus, with average lengths of 76 cm (30 in) for males. They have muscular and heavy spiked tails. Their colors change according to the temperature and season. During cool weather, they appear dull and dark, but the colors become lighter in warm weather, especially when basking. The darker pigmentation allows their skin to absorb sunlight more effectively.
Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards are found in Egypt east of the Nile, Israel, Syria, Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Iran. They live in open, flat, gravelly, stony, and rocky areas in mountainous regions.
Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards are social and live in loose colonies. They are active during the day and spend most of their waking hours basking in the sun and will hide in underground chambers during the daytime heat or when danger appears. When feeling threatened Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards will swing their tail at an attacker with great velocity, usually accompanied by hissing and an open-mouthed display of (small) teeth. They even frequently sleep in their burrows with their tails closest to the opening, in order to thwart intruders.
Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards are mainly herbivores and will eat any surrounding vegetation. They may also consume insects at certain times of the year when it is hot and their only food source available would be insects. Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards receive most of the water they need from the vegetation they feed on.
Female Egyptian spiny-tailed lizards can lay between 5 and 40 eggs, depending on their age. Incubation typically lasts for 70-80 days and the young rapidly gain weight during the first few weeks following hatching.
This species is believed to be in decline because of two main threats; they suffer from habitat loss and over-harvesting for international pet and medicinal trade.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...