#shovel-snouted lizard

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Digging is always easier with a shovel; it's good thing the shovel-snouted lizard is never without one! These lizards reside solely in the Namib Desert, and use their uniquely-shaped noses to help bury themselves in the sand, thus avoiding the worst of the heat during the day.

(Image: A shovel-snouted lizard (Meroles anchietae) by Tom Field)

[kaijutegu]

Show me a reptile with some sweet dance moves?

The shovel-snouted lizard (Meroles anchietae) is one of the rare lizards that actually lives on loose sand. It traverses the dunes in African deserts like the Namib and Sahara, and is one of the fastest of all reptiles, moving at roughly three feet per second. That’s twenty times its body length. Like other desert lizards, they have fringes along the margins of their toes, which helps provide surface area for running across sand. 

But that’s not their only adaptation for desert life. The shovel-snouted lizard performs something called a “thermal dance,” which prevents them from getting burned. The surface temperature of the sand can exceed 160F, so the lizard lifts its feet with near-mechanical precision. Here’s a couple of videos showing this critter in action, explaining some of their thermal adaptations and the mechanics of how their legs work!

In addition to their thermal dance, the shovel-snouted lizard is extremely good at dramatic poses, complete with the “I’m the hottest (no literally i’m too hot i must gape now)” mouth and a well-executed sexy leg.

Image sources: 1, 2