Simon says: "Let's meet the Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia)"

#Imagineisraeltours
#simonostertourguide

The Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia)

Also known as the Dabb Lizard or Egyptian Mastigure, this is one of the largest members of its genus.

Native to Egypt (east of the Nile) & the southern half of Israel, they can be found in the eastern Judean Desert, the Arava Valley & the central & southern Negev Desert.

Primarily herbivorous, they love leaves, buds, fruits, seeds & flowers - they'll eat insects when no other food is available. During summer droughts, they rely on Acacia trees as their main food source.

These lizards dig deep burrows (up to 10 metres long & 1.8 metres deep!) that provide shelter from predators & desert extremes. They also hibernate in these burrows during December & January.

Listed as Vulnerable in Israel due to habitat loss & poaching, they're fully protected under Israeli law - it's illegal to disturb, capture or harm them.
Spiny-tailed lizards were traditionally hunted & eaten by Bedouin in the region - considering its flesh a delicacy.

✨ Cool Fact:
In Hebrew, they're called Chardon-tzav mazui. Experts in Hebrew, like those at Brown-Driver-Briggs, (the authors of the lexicon of biblical Hebrew) noted that tzav refers to this lizard, from the Hebrew צָ֥ב (tzev)
These ancient reptiles are mentioned in the same chapter of the Bible as other familiar creatures like geckos & sand lizards (Leviticus 11:29-30) listed as "swarming creatures" that are unclean for the Israelites.

While older English translations like the King James Version translated this as "tortoise" or "land crocodile," modern scholars & translations (like the Revised Version) agree that this is a mistake!

Want to walk in the tracks of a Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizard? Let’s 'Imagine Israel' together!

https://imagineisrael-tours.com/

TripAdvisor reviews https://shorturl.at/aIR47
Google Reviews: https://g.page/r/CRpU82ZCQ_-qEBE/review

📩 imagineisraelenquiries@gmail.com
📲phone/WhatsApp +972 54 2390412

#egyptianspinytailedlizard #DesertMonitor #IsraelWildlife #NegevDesert #Arava #ReptilesOfIsrael #Conservation #floraandfauna #BiblicalWildlife