Whilst birding near Bani Saad I found a Bosk's Fringe-toed Lizard. Originally I thought it was the very similar Snake-tailed Fringe-toed Lizard but luckily a local birdwatcher, Mansur Al Fahad, who is
very knowledgeable on insects, lizards and other wildlife identified it from my
photos as a Bosk's fringe-toed lizard Acanthodactylus boskianus. This is
the most widespread species of its genus as well as the largest Acanthodactylus
species throughout its range, measuring 16-23 centimeters in total length,
which includes all of Saharan North Africa and the Middle East including
Arabia, the Levant and Mesopotamia (including the Turkish border), as well as
north- western Iran. It frequents a range of stony and sandy environments and
is sometimes common in rocky areas with some shrubs.
