This is a uromastyx or spiny-tailed lizard locally known as a 'Dhab'. We had seen a few holes around the farm in Abdally and the guys working there had said they have seen lizards. Last week they caught this one, he was not harmed and let go after his photo shoot because after all he contributes greatly to the ecosystem by eating bugs and is a pollinator pooping out seeds and fertilising the soil.
You can see them in the summer sunning themselves on the oil pipes crossing the desert. Supposedly, eating the tail of a dhub is an aphrodisiac... Yuk.
ReplyDeleteYes, I heard they were a delicacy among the Bedouin. But really, YUK! Thank goodness for KFC and Viagra instead.
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