Egyptian thorntail
| Egyptian thorntail | ||||||||||||
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Egyptian thorntail ( Uromastyx aegyptia ) |
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| Uromastyx aegyptia | ||||||||||||
| ( Forsskål , 1775) |
The Egyptian thorntail ( Uromastyx aegyptia ) is a lizard from the agam family (Agamidae). It belongs to the genus of the thorn tail agamas ( Uromastyx ).
description
The Egyptian thorntail ( Uromastyx aegyptia ) reaches a total length of up to 75 cm with a head-trunk length of 45 cm and is thus the largest representative of the thorn-tailed agamen . Adult animals reach a weight of 1.5 - 1.6 kg.
In the case of the Egyptian thorntails, in addition to the nominate form Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia , there are two subspecies: Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis and Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni . In both subspecies, the body scales are remarkably small and smooth. Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia can change its body color. At high temperatures it is light brown to light gray and at low temperatures it can turn a dark, almost black gray. The youth dress consists of 5–6 yellow transverse bands on a gray-brown basic color. In the Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis there are also slightly yellow or green colored animals.
distribution
The Egyptian thorntail is found in North Africa from Algeria to Egypt , on the Sinai, Israel, Jordan and on the Arabian Peninsula, making it the only thorntail agame that is common on both the Asian and African continents.
food
Like all thorntail dragons, the Egyptian thorntail is a pure herbivore . Only young animals also consume animal food such as insects.
swell
- Bernhard Grzimek (ed.): Grzimeks animal life. Volume 6: reptiles. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-423-03204-9 , p. 215.
Web links
- Uromastyx aegyptia in The Reptile Database
- Uromastyx aegyptia inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Wilms, T., Eid, EKA, Al Johany, AMH, Amr, ZSS, Els, J., Baha El Din, S., Disi, AM, Sharifi, M., Papenfuss, T., Shafiei Bafti, S. & Werner, YL, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013.