Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Northern Saudi Arabia
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area and Data Collection
2.2. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Seasonal Variations in Soil Temperature
3.2. Retreating Underground
3.3. Partial Emergence
3.4. Basking
3.5. Foraging and Other Activities
3.6. Brumation
3.7. Disturbance
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Wilms, T.; Wagner, P.; Shobrak, M.; Böhme, W. Activity profiles, habitat selection and seasonality of body weight in a population of Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizards (Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis Blanford, 1875; Sauria: Agamidae) in Saudi Arabia. Bon. Zool. Beitr. 2009, 56, 259–272. Available online: https://zoologicalbulletin.de/BzB_Volumes/Volume_56_4/259_272_BZB56_4_Wilms_Thomas_et_al.PDF (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Downes, S. Trading heat and food for safety: Costs of predator avoidance in a lizard. Ecology 2001, 82, 2870–2881. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Blouin-Demers, G.; Weatherhead, P.J. Habitat-Specific Behavioural Thermoregulation by Black Rat Snakes (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta). Oikos 2002, 97, 59–68. Available online: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3547593 (accessed on 20 February 2025). [CrossRef]
- van den Berg, F.T.; Thompson, M.B.; Hochuli, D.F. When hot rocks get hotter: Behaviour and acclimatization mitigate exposure to extreme temperatures in a spider. Ecosphere 2015, 6, 1–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Nicholson, K.L.; Torrence, S.M.; Ghioca, D.M.; Bhattacharjee, J.; Andrei, A.E.; Owen, J.; Radke, N.; Perry, G. The influence of temperature and humidity on activity patterns of the lizards (Anolis stratulus) and (Ameiva exsul) in the British Virgin Islands. Caribb. J. Sci. 2005, 41, 870–873. [Google Scholar]
- Wilms, T.; Wagner, P.; Shobrak, M.; Rödder, D.; Böhme, W. Living on the edge?—On the thermobiology and activity pattern of the large herbivorous desert lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis Blanford, 1875 at Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. J. Arid. Environ. 2011, 75, 636–647. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rangel-Patiño, C.A.; Mastachi-Loza, C.A.; Eifler, D.; García-Morales, C.; Ruiz-Gómez, M.L. When things get hot: Thermoregulation behaviour in the lizard Sceloporus aeneus at different thermal conditions. J. Therm. Biol. 2020, 89, 102572. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yang, Y.J.; Zeng, Z.G.; Xing, K.F.; Li, S.R.; Yang, C.S.; Du, W.G. Behavioural thermoregulation by the endangered crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) in captivity. J. Therm. Biol. 2020, 93, 102731. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Abram, P.K.; Boivin, G.; Moiroux, J.; Brodeur, J. Behavioural effects of temperature on ectothermic animals: Unifying thermal physiology and behavioural plasticity. Biol. Rev. Camb. Philos. Soc. 2017, 92, 1859–1876. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Vicenzi, N.; Ibargüengoytía, N.; Corbalan, V. Activity patterns and thermoregulatory behaviour of the viviparous lizard (Phymaturus palluma) in Aconcagua Provincial Park, Argentine Andes. Herpetol. Conserv. Biol. 2019, 14, 337–348. Available online: https://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_14/Issue_2/Vicenzi_etal_2019.pdf (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Stark, G.; Ma, L.; Zeng, Z.-G.; Du, W.-G.; Levy, O. State-dependent movement choices of desert lizards: The role of behavioural thermoregulation during summer and winter. J. Therm. Biol. 2024, 121, 103841. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Grimm-Seyfarth, A.; Mihoub, J.-B.; Henle, K. Too hot to die? The effects of vegetation shading on past, present, and future activity budgets of two diurnal skinks from arid Australia. Ecol. Evol. 2017, 7, 6803–6813. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Stark, G.; Ma, L.; Zeng, Z.-G.; Du, W.-G.; Levy, O. Rocks and vegetation cover improve body condition of desert lizards during both summer and winter. Integr. Comp. Biol. 2022, 62, 1031–1041. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Adolph, S.C.; Porter, W.P. Temperature, activity, and lizard life histories. Am. Nat. 1993, 142, 273–295. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cunningham, P.L. Seasonal variation in daily activity pattern in a population of Spiny-tailed Lizard, (Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis), from the United Arab Emirates. Russ. J. Herpetol. 2009, 16, 6–10. Available online: http://rjh.folium.ru/index.php/rjh/article/view/144 (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Hodar, J.A.; Campos, F.; Rosales, B. Trophic ecology of the ocellated lizard (Lacerta lepida) in an arid zone of southern Spain: Relationships with availability and daily activity of prey. J. Arid. Environ. 1996, 33, 95–107. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gunderson, A.R. Habitat degradation exacerbates the effects of anthropogenic warming by removing thermal refuges. Glob. Change Biol. 2023, 29, 6157–6158. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stark, G.; Ma, L.; Zeng, Z.-G.; Du, W.-G.; Levy, O. Cool shade and not-so-cool shade: How habitat loss may accelerate thermal stress under current and future climate. Glob. Change Biol. 2023, 29, 6201–6216. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Al-Hazmi, M.A. Feeding behaviour and food selection of Dhab (Uromastyx microlepis) from wild vegetation. Qatar Univ. Sci. J. 2001, 21, 65–73. Available online: http://hdl.handle.net/10576/10234 (accessed on 29 April 2025).
- Wilms, T.; Eid, E.K.A.; Al Johany, A.M.H.; Amr, Z.S.S.; Els, J.; Baha El Din, S.; Disi, A.M.; Sharifi, M.; Papenfuss, T.; Shafiei Bafti, S.; et al. Uromastyx aegyptia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: E.T164729A115304711; IUCN: Gland, Switzerland, 2012. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cox, N.A.; Mallon, D.; Bowles, P.; Els, J.; Tognelli, M.F. The Conservation Status and Distribution of Reptiles of the Arabian Peninsula. Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, and Sharjah, UAE: Environment and Protected Areas Authority. 2012. Available online: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/RL-53-002.pdf (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Al-Sayegh, M.T.; Abd El-Wahab, R.H.; Wright, C.D.; DeNardo, D.F. Impact of anthropogenic disturbance and vegetation composition on ecophysiology and activity of (Uromastyx aegyptia) (Forskål, 1775). J. Arid. Environ. 2020, 181, 104232. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alatawi, A.S. Conservation action in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and opportunities. Saudi. J. Biol. Sci. 2022, 29, 3466–3472. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Cunningham, P.L. Notes on the diet, survival rate, and burrow specifics of (Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis) from the United Arab Emirates. Asiat. Herpetol. Res. 2001, 9, 30–33. Available online: http://www.asiatic-herpetological.org/Archive/Volume2009/09_06.pdf (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Al-Johany, A. Daily and seasonal activity and thermal regulation of the spiny tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptius) in central Arabia. J. Egypt. Ger. Soc. Zool. 2003, 41, 585–595. [Google Scholar]
- AlRashidi, M.; Abdelgadir, M.; Shobrak, M. Habitat selection by the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia): A view from spatial analysis. Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 2021, 28, 5034–5041. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- R Development Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. 2024. Available online: https://www.R-project.org (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Gunderson, A.R.; Leal, M. Patterns of Thermal Constraint on Ectotherm Activity. Am. Nat. 2015, 185, 653–664. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Logan, M.L.; Fernandez, S.G.; Calsbeek, R. Abiotic constraints on the activity of tropical lizards. Funct. Ecol. 2015, 29, 694–700. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kechnebbou, M.; de Carvalho, D.L.; da Silva, P.H.; Silva, D.P. Global warming drives range shifts in spiny-tailed Lizards (Squamata: Agamidae: Uromastyx) in the African and Arabian deserts. J. Arid. Environ. 2021, 191, 104522. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wilms, T.; Wagner, P.; Shobrak, M.; Lutzmann, N.; Böhme, W. Aspect of the ecology of the Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aeyptia microlepis Blandford, 1875) at Mahazat as-Sayd protected area, Saudi Arabia. Salamandra 2010, 46, 131–140. Available online: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52d4deeae4b0f9fd2aedf3ef/t/52e53b80e4b00ef8382be9d6/1390754688101/Wilms_U.a.microlepis.pdf (accessed on 20 February 2025).
- Moore, D.; Stow, A.; Kearney, M.R. Under the weather?—The direct effects of climate warming on a threatened desert lizard are mediated by their activity phase and burrow system. J. Anim. Ecol. 2018, 87, 660–671. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Song, Y.; Liu, Y.; Lin, Y.; Liang, T.; Shi, L. Burrow Characteristics and Microhabitat Use of the Turpan Wonder Gecko (Teratoscincus roborowskii) (Squamata, Gekkonidae). Asiat. Herpetol. Res. 2017, 8, 61–69. Available online: https://www.sciengine.com/AHR/doi/10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.160028 (accessed on 29 April 2025).
- Fenner, A.L.; Pavey, C.R.; Bull, C.M. Characteristics of the burrows of Slater’s Skink, (Liopholis slateri). Herpetol. J. 2012, 22, 115–121. Available online: https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-journal/volume-22-number-2-april-2012/661-08-characteristics-of-the-burrows-of-slater-s-skink-i-liopholis-slateri-i/file (accessed on 29 April 2025).
- Trompeter, W.P.; Langkilde, T. Invader danger: Lizards faced with novel predators exhibit an altered behavioural response to stress. Horm. Behavi. 2011, 60, 152–158. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Baird, T.A. Lizards and other reptiles as model systems for the study of contest behaviour. In Animal Contests; Hardy, I.C.W., Briffa, M., Eds.; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2013; pp. 258–286. [Google Scholar]
Variables | Spring | Summer | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Mean | Std. Error | N | Mean | Std. Error | |
Retreating underground | 13 | 72.69 | 2.55 | 8 | 84.32 | 2.30 |
Partial emergence | 13 | 10.42 | 1.57 | 8 | 7.57 | 1.78 |
Basking | 13 | 9.75 | 1.68 | 8 | 5.56 | 1.23 |
Foraging and other activities | 13 | 7.14 | 1.08 | 8 | 2.54 | 0.45 |
Explanatory Variables | Response Variables | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Retreating Underground | Partial Emergence | Basking | Foraging and Other Activities | |||||||||
df | F | p | df | F | p | df | F | p | df | F | p | |
Temperature | 1.482 | 73.01 | <0.001 | 1.482 | 107.95 | <0.001 | 1.482 | 75.12 | <0.001 | 1.482 | 93.60 | <0.001 |
Season (spring & summer) | 1.19 | 19.62 | <0.001 | 1.19 | 12.77 | <0.001 | 1.19 | 12.26 | 0.002 | 1.19 | 27.62 | <0.001 |
Burrow ID | Start | End | Disturbance Duration | Disturbance Type | Partial Emergence After Disturbance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
B1 | 20 April, 16:22 | 20 April, 16:32 | 10 min | Sheep and goats | 10 min |
B4 | 26 April, 8:20 | 26 April, 10:20 | 120 min | Camels | 86 min |
26 April, 16:15 | 26 April, 16:25 | 10 min | Camels | 2 min | |
B7 | 26 April, 11:30 | 26 April, 12:05 | 35 min | Camels | 7 min |
26 April, 12:40 | 26 April, 13:10 | 30 min | Camels and cars | 2 min | |
26 April, 16:12 | 26 April, 16:35 | 23 min | Camels and cars | 97 min | |
B9 | 27 April, 8:14 | 27 April, 8:50 | 36 min | Sheep and goats | 15 min |
B10 | 1 May, 10:36 | 1 May, 10:38 | 2 min | A car | 122 min |
B13 | 23 July, 8:10 | 23 July, 8:20 | 10 min | Camels | 346 min |
B16 | 5 August, 7:39 | 5 August, 7:40 | 1 min | A raptor | 3 min |
5 August, 8:10 | 5 August, 10:25 | 135 min | Camels and sheep | 151 min |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
AlRashidi, M.; Alatawi, A.S.; Hassan, S.S.M.; Shobrak, M. Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Northern Saudi Arabia. Life 2025, 15, 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050735
AlRashidi M, Alatawi AS, Hassan SSM, Shobrak M. Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Northern Saudi Arabia. Life. 2025; 15(5):735. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050735
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlRashidi, Monif, Abdulaziz S. Alatawi, Sami Saeed M. Hassan, and Mohammed Shobrak. 2025. "Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Northern Saudi Arabia" Life 15, no. 5: 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050735
APA StyleAlRashidi, M., Alatawi, A. S., Hassan, S. S. M., & Shobrak, M. (2025). Daily and Seasonal Activity Patterns of the Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Northern Saudi Arabia. Life, 15(5), 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15050735