''Uromastyx'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of African and Asian
agamid
Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Overview
Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the ...
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
s, the member
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of which are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus ''Uromastyx'' are primarily
herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
, but occasionally eat insects and other small animals, especially young lizards. They spend most of their waking hours basking in the sun, hiding in underground chambers at daytime, or when danger appears. They tend to establish themselves in hilly, rocky areas with good shelter and accessible vegetation.
Taxonomy
The
generic
Generic or generics may refer to:
In business
* Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark
* Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...
name (''Uromastyx'') is derived from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
words ''ourá'' (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and ''
-mastix
-mastix is a suffix derived from Ancient Greek, and used quite frequently in English literature of the 17th century, to denote a strong opponent or hater of whatever the suffix was attached to. It became common after Thomas Dekker's play ''Satiro ...
'' (μάστιξ) meaning "whip" or "scourge", after the thick-spiked tail characteristic of all ''Uromastyx'' species.
Species
The following species are in the genus ''Uromastyx''.
[. www.reptile-database.org.] Three additional species were formerly placed in this genus, but have been moved to their own genus, ''
Saara Saara may refer to:
Places
* Saara, Estonia, a village in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia
* Saara, Greiz, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
* Saara, Altenburger Land, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
Other
* ''Saara'' (lizard), a genus of l ...
''.
[Wilms TM, Böhme W, Wagner P, Lutzmann N, Schmitz A (2009). "On the Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Genus Uromastyx Merrem, 1820 (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Uromastycinae) – Resurrection of the Genus Saara Gray, 1845". ''Bonner zoologische Beiträge'' 56 (1/2): 55–99.]
*''Uromastyx acanthinura
''Uromastyx'' is a genus of African and Asian agamid lizards, the member species of which are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus ''Uromastyx'' are primarily herbivorous, but occasi ...
'' – North African mastigure, North African spiny-tailed lizard
*''Uromastyx aegyptia
''Uromastyx aegyptia'' is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to North Africa and the Middle East.
Common names
Common names for ''U. aegyptia'' include Egyptian mastigure, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard, and, when ...
'' – Egyptian mastigure, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard
*'' Uromastyx alfredschmidti'' – Schmidt's mastigure, Schmidt's spiny-tailed lizard
*''Uromastyx benti
''Uromastyx benti'', also known commonly as Bent's mastigure and the Yemeni spiny-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to the southeastern Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The specific name, ''benti'' ...
'' – Bent's mastigure, Yemeni spiny-tailed lizard
*''Uromastyx dispar
''Uromastyx dispar'', the Sudan mastigure, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Mauritania, Sudan, Chad, Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North ...
'' – Sudan mastigure
**''Uromastyx (dispar) dispar''
**'' Uromastyx (dispar) flavifasciata''
**''Uromastyx (dispar) maliensis'' – Mali uromastyx
*''Uromastyx geyri
''Uromastyx geyri'' is a species of lizard belonging to the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to North Africa.
Common names
Common names for ''U. geyri'' include Geyr's dabb lizard, Geyr's spiny-tailed lizard,"''Uromastyx geyri'' ". The Re ...
'' – Geyr’s spiny-tailed lizard, Saharan spiny-tailed lizard
*''Uromastyx macfadyeni
''Uromastyx macfadyeni'', Macfadyen's mastigure, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic o ...
'' – Macfadyen's mastigure
*''Uromastyx nigriventris
''Uromastyx nigriventris'', the Moroccan spiny-tailed lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Morocco and Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, imag ...
'' – Moroccan spiny-tailed lizard
*'' Uromastyx occidentalis''
*''Uromastyx ocellata
''Uromastyx ocellata'' is a species of agamid lizard native to northeastern Africa. It is known as the ocellated spinytail, eyed dabb lizard, and ocellated uromastyx.
Description
''Uromastyx ocellata'' is a medium-small species of ''Uromastyx'', ...
'' – Ocellated spinytail
*'' Uromastyx ornata'' – ornate mastigure
*'' Uromastyx princeps'' – princely spiny-tailed lizard, Somalian mastigure
*'' Uromastyx shobraki''
*'' Uromastyx thomasi'' – Omani spiny-tailed lizard, Thomas's mastigure
*'' Uromastyx yemenensis'' – South Arabian spiny-tailed lizard
Description
Their size ranges from (''U. macfadyeni'') to or more (''U. aegyptia''). Hatchling
In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well.
Fish
Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar to ...
s or neonate
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
s are usually no more than in length. Like many reptiles, these lizards' 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.
Their spiked tail is muscular and heavy, and is able to be swung at an attacker with great velocity, usually accompanied by hissing and an open-mouthed display of (small) teeth. Uromastyx generally sleep in their burrows with their tails closest to the opening, in order to thwart intruders.
Distribution
''Uromastyx'' inhabit a range stretching through most of North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and Northeast Africa
Northeast Africa, or ''Northeastern Africa'' or Northern East Africa as it was known in the past, is a geographic regional term used to refer to the countries of Africa situated in and around the Red Sea. The region is intermediate between North ...
, the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, ranging as far east as Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Species found further east are now placed in the genus ''Saara Saara may refer to:
Places
* Saara, Estonia, a village in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia
* Saara, Greiz, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
* Saara, Altenburger Land, a municipality in Thuringia, Germany
Other
* ''Saara'' (lizard), a genus of l ...
''.[ ''Uromastyx'' occur at elevations from sea level to well over . They are regularly eaten, and sold in produce markets, by local peoples.
]
Diet
These lizards acquire most of the water they need from the vegetation they ingest. In the wild they generally eat any surrounding vegetation. When hatching, baby uromastyx eat their own mother's feces as their first meal before heading off to find a more sustainable food source.
In the wild, adult Malis have been reported to eat insects at certain times of the year, when it is hot and their only food source available would be insects.
Reproduction
A female ''Uromastyx'' can lay anywhere from 5 to 40 eggs, depending on age and species. Eggs are laid approximately 30 days following copulation with an incubation time of 70–80 days. The neonates weigh and are about snout to vent length. They rapidly gain weight during the first few weeks following hatching.
A field study in Algeria concluded that Moroccan spiny-tailed lizards add approximately of total growth each year until around the age of 8–9 years.[Vernet, Roland; Lemire, Michel; Grenot, Claude J.; Francaz, Jean-Marc (1988). "Ecophysiological comparisons between two large Saharan Lizards, ''Uromastyx acanthinurus'' (Agamidae) and ''Varanus griseus'' (Varanidae)". ''Journal of Arid Environment''s 14:187–200.]
Wild female uromastyx are smaller and less colorful than males. For example, ''U. (dispar) maliensis'' females are often light tan with black dorsal spots, while males are mostly bright yellow with mottled black markings. Females also tend to have shorter claws. In captivity female ''U. (dispar) maliensis'' tend to mimic males in color. Maliensis are, therefore, reputably difficult to breed in captivity.
Consumption by humans
''Uromastyx maliensis'', known as "ḍabb" ( ar, ضَـبْ) by peninsular
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
Arabs, is historically consumed as food by some of the bedouin population of the Arabian peninsula, mainly those residing in the interior and eastern regions of Arabia. This lizard used to be considered an "arabian delicacy". It is recorded that when an ''Uromastyx'' was brought to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by Bedouins, Muhammad did not eat the lizard but Muslims were not prohibited by him from consuming it; thus Muhammad's companion Khalid bin Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
consumed the lizard.
In Judaism, this lizard is traditionally identified as the biblical tzav, one of the 8 "creeping" animals forbidden for consumption that impart ritual impurity. The Torah states: “The following shall be impure for you among the creeping animals that swarm upon the earth: The weasel, and the mouse, and the dab lizard (tzav) of every variety; and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the skink, and the chameleon” (Leviticus 11:29-30).
Captivity
Uromastyx are removed from the wild in an unregulated manner for the pet and medicinal trade in Morocco, despite their protected status in the country; conditions of the animals while being sold is often extremely poor and overcrowding is common. Historically, captive ''Uromastyx'' had a poor survival rate, due to a lack of understanding of their dietary and environmental needs. In recent years, knowledge has significantly increased, and appropriate diet and care has led to survival rates and longevity approaching and perhaps surpassing those in the wild. With good care, they are capable of living for over 25 years, and possibly as old as 60.
See also
*Animals in Islam
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...
References
External links
Information on some Uromastyx species
A digital library source from the University of Texas at Austin
Detailed Uromastyx Care Sheet
Uromastyx.eu
Dr. Doug Dix Uromastyx Page
The UroWiki
{{Taxonbar, from=Q739847
Reptiles of Africa
Reptiles of the Middle East
Lizard genera
Taxa named by Blasius Merrem
Reptiles as pets