Uromastyx

Genus Uromastyx

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about uromastyx. These are basically pancake lizards. Uromastyx have compressed bodies making them flat and chonky. They’re also known as spiny-tailed lizards which should be appreciable by the look of their tails. Uromastyx may use these spiny tails to defend themselves from predators. These lizards will sit in burrows with their tails facing towards the entrance so if any would be predator tries to make its way inside, that animal would instead get a face full of uromastyx tail. They’ve been known to draw blood, so it’s not something to be trifled with.

Uromastyx is the name of the genus to which nearly twenty different species are classified. For some reason they’re one of the few animals that go by both their common and scientific names. Though we would say pancake lizard definitely counts as an acceptable common name. These lizards are found in northern Africa and parts of the Middle East. They prefer warm temperatures and sandy terrain. Not like “shifting sand dunes” kind of sandy, more like “hard and rocky” kind of sandy. Uromastyx will dig burrows in this tough terrain type so they can have a place to escape predators and spend their nights staying at an optimal temperature. If they’re too lazy, or too young, to dig their own burrows, they’ll find acceptable places to hide in rocky crevices.

Uromastyx don’t drop their tails a way a gecko might when faced with a predator, so the spines on their tails are utilized for keeping away dogs, wolves, snakes, raptors, shrikes, monitor lizards, and ravens. Juveniles will often fall victim to these animals, however, because they haven’t all mastered the method of running away when startled. Some of them freeze a few moments before running which gives predators an easy moment to strike. Guess they have to learn that lesson the hard way.

Uromastyx are mostly herbivorous animals though juveniles will occasionally eat ants and beetles. Adult uromastyx almost exclusively eat flowers, leaves, seeds, fruits, grains, and other plant materials. They ferment these difficult to digest foods in their stomachs in much the same way a cow might. Which leads us to wonder if they’re also as gassy. Uromastyx have special teeth designed for munching on these fibrous food sources. Their top teeth are fused into a beak-like structure that allows the lizards to easily slice through plant material.

These pancake lizards are active during the day. When they wake up and emerge from their burrows they are dark in color and their bodies are cool. As the day progresses, and the lizards are warmed by the sun, uromastyx begin to change color. At peak heat, these lizards may be bright shades of red, orange, or yellow, and very much the product of envy of the similar looking, but unrelated chuckwallas.

Some uromastyx may live in close proximity with one another while others may fight over territory and burrows, so they can sport scars from these matches. Male will also bite females while mating. Uromastyx generally breed in spring as the weather is warmer and the lizards have endured months of cool inactivity. The females will lay 5 to 20 eggs in her burrow and protect them until they hatch about two to three months later.

Once the eggs hatch, the babies will be on their own once they decide to leave their mother’s burrow - or once she kicks them out - but it may be months before this happens; it all just depends on the species. It takes about four years before uromastyx are ready to reproduce. Uromastyx average 15 inches (38 centimeters) in length, but can be more than two feet (61cm) long at max size. If they can avoid predators, uromastyx may live to be more than a decade old!

For more facts on uromastyx, check out the links in the description. Thank you to hannah for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.