Meet the Animal Park's Uromastyx
Uromastyx aegyptia
Oscar
About Egyptian Uromastyx
NATIVE RANGE
Egyptian Uromastyx (or “Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizards”) can be found in rocky areas, shrubland, and desert environments in the Middle East and North Africa (Egypt).
DIET
They are primarily herbivores, and they get almost all of their water from food.
BEHAVIOR
Egyptian Uromastyx are terrestrial diggers and burrowers who are diurnal and love to bask in the sunshine. They live in loose colonies near their burrows.
FASCINATING FACTS
- Spiny-tailed lizards’ nasal glands remove salt from their bodies—they “sneeze” clear fluid, which dries as a white powder around the nose.
- “Uromastyx” is derived from the ancient Greek “oura,” meaning tail, and “mastix” or “mastiga,” meaning “whip.”
- Their spiny tail can be used as a defensive weapon (swung like a club at predators) and also to block entrance to the animals’ burrows. These lizards are not able to “drop” their tails.
