The Middle Eastern
Short-fingered Gecko Stenodactylus doriae is a common Gecko in the sands of Zulfi and has the local name Abras
Bar, meaning desert gecko. This photo was taken by Mansur in Zulfi and he has
kindly allowed me permission to use it on my website as well as provided
details on the Gecko. It is a large
desert-dwelling sand gecko, growing up to 8 centimetres in length, well-adapted
to its desert habitat, with eyes bordered by large scales to protect from sand
while burrowing, and flattened toes, with a projecting fringe of long scales,
to increase surface area contact with the loose substrate. They are pale sandy
above, marked with indistinct dark transverse bands and a darker line running
from the eyes down each side, and are whitish below. The eyes are large, and
the tail is long and cylindrical, tapering to a fine point. They are active at
night when they are often encountered walking slowly across the desert with
thier body raised high off the ground. Prey, located by sight, mainly comprises
insects and arachnids, which are caught by active pursuit or by remaining still
and using an ambush strategy. The inhabit the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula and can be found in Saudi Arabia, Iran,
Iraq, Israel, The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Jordan and are normally
foundon the loose, wind-blown sands of dunes and sandy plains
