Whilst out at the Dammam Arnold Uy saw a Schmidt's Fringed-toed Lizard
Acanthodactylus schmidti running between the sparse vegetation and took a
couple of photographs of it. This is one of the most abundant species in the
genus Acanthodactylus found in Saudi Arabia and occupies sandy plains,
dunes and sabkhas (salt flats), particularly in areas of scrubby vegetation. It
can be distinguished by the exceptionally long fourth toe found on each of its
rear feet which as its name suggests it has 'fringes' of elongated scales along
the sides of each toe. It is a diurnal species which digs burrows in the sand
among the roots of vegetation and is found throughout the Arabian Peninsula
including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, south-east
Iraq and south-west Iran.
