Phrynocephalus horvathi is a small diurnal desert lizard in the family Agamidae. It is endemic to the valley of the Aras River and considered Critically Endangered.
Diurnal 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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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial 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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starts withThe neotype, an adult male, measures 48 mm (1.9 in) in snout–vent length, and has a 60 mm (2.4 in) tail. The body is slender and depressed; also the head is depressed. There is a crest, consisting of a row of nine thorn-like scales, along the middle line of neck.
P. horvathi occurs in several isolated populations the valley of the Aras River in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, at elevations of up to 500 m. Like P. persicus, this species prefers vegetation patches on loose sandy soils in semi-deserts, but can also be found on traditional arable land.
The species is categorized as "critically endangered" due to its fragmented range, small populations and some 80 percent of its habitat having been lost over the past three generations (12 years) to the spread of agriculture and urbanization. A total population estimate of less than 2,000 individuals was made in 2008. P. horvathi is present in at least one official conservation area.
