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REPTILE FACT FILE: DHUB'S DEN

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COMMON NAME
Spiny-tailed lizard, spiny-tailed agama, dhub or dhab
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Genus: Uromastyx
Species: There are over 15 species and even more subspecies.
RANGE
They range from northen India throughout western Asia and the Arabian peninsula, to the desert regions of North Africa.
DIET
Many of the smaller species feed on insects as well as plants. Larger species feed mostly on desert plants. The following plants are often eaten by dhubs: Conulvus; Trubulus; Blepharis; Neurada
STATUS
Most species are quite common. Potential threats are habitat destruction and over-collecting for the pet industry.

By Damien Egan

Barren gravel plains carpet the edges of sandy deserts and mountains throughout the Arabian peninsula. At a glance they seem to play host only to very small animals, a majority of whom have considerably more legs than ourselves. Most of these little animals are very seldom seen; only evident by their diminutive burrows whose entrances adorn the stony surface of the plains.

Every now and then, a larger hole might be discovered. These are too small for a fox to inhabit, but at a glance, it may well look like the work of one, that in its enthusiasm to find out what was living in a little hole, has succeeded in making it a big hole. Look a little closer however, and you shall see that although it may start at more than 30 cm wide, the hole will quickly taper to about 15 cm or less and continue at this diameter into darkness. Observe the fan-shaped pile of sand at the entrance and now guess the depth of the hole. It takes a lot of digging to create a pile that size.

The fact is these holes are deep, very deep. Straight down, they are up to 2.2 meters, but as they spiral several times to reach that depth, the occupant can expect to dig more than five meters of tunnel.

The creatures responsible for such incredible subway construction are dhabs, or spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx sp.). There are more than 15 species of these gentle giants distributed from north Africa to India, some of which reach a bulky 65 cm. All are characterized by an elaborate suit of armour, consisting of a tail adorned with dagger-sharp spines and a head that would not look out of place on the end of a medieval battering ram. They are usually only spotted at a distance through the shimming Arabian heat-haze, which is a pity, for there are relatively few people who have had the chance to study the amazing mechanics and colours of the dhab from close up.

Despite their rather fearsome appearance, dhabs would not willingly harm anybody. They might snack on the odd insect as babies, but as adults they are strictly vegetarian with few exceptions, confining their diet to the meager pickings offered by desert plants. They have a very low metabolism that allows them to not only make the most of a low calorie diet, but to also go several weeks on end without eating anything. Dhabs will usually go through their entire lives without drinking a single drop of water; most of their moisture requirements being met by the rather dry and often salty plants which they feed upon. Dew, condensed in the entrances of their burrows, will also be utilised if it hasn’t already evaporated before the dhab wakes up (they are not early risers and most dhabs consider 8 a.m. to be the middle of the night).

Although dhabs are fairly low on the food chain, they are by no means an easy meal and it is a specialist predator that is capable of outwitting this spiky adversary. Not only are they difficult (and painful) to hold on to, but they are also fast and alert and will scramble to the safety of the burrow at the slightest hint of danger. Their biggest threat would come from above, with many eagles and hawks being more than willing to have a go at them. Foxes too, would take advantage of a dhab that had wandered too far away from its hole. The most specialized dhab killer is probably the black desert cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptica). These stealthy snakes are able to follow the lizard straight down into the burrow, where the dhab will be engulfed after a brief struggle against a powerful neurotoxin, a venom capable of killing a human. Monitor lizards (Varanus griseus ssp) will eat the baby dhabs. In fact these hardy reptiles will eat anything that moves and are not adverse to eating things that have long since stopped moving, even if that was days ago!

Little is known about the private lives of the spiny-tailed lizard. As with many lizard species, they are quite aggressive during mating, with much wrestling and biting taking place. Most of the mating will take place in March and April after a winter cooling period. Eggs are probably laid in the home burrow of the parent animal, and babies emerge around August and September. These mini-dragons measure approximately 10 cm in length and resemble the parents in almost every way. They will waste no time in excavating burrows of their own, which will widen and deepen as the dhabs grow.

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