Very interesting sites....
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/runningbrook/729/id19.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/runningbrook/729/id17.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/runningbrook/729/id42.htm
The Transmission of Ultraviolet Light through Reptile Skin Shed...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/skintests.htm
"Ornate Uromastyx (Uromastyx ornata) are lizards which live in extreme desert conditions in their native Egypt, Sinai and northern Arabia, in steep, rocky ravines that are dry for most of the year. Unlike the previously-mentioned species (which apparently spend much of their time in the daylight) ornate uromastyx, when not basking or feeding, shelter from the extremes of the desert environment in crevices in rocks. Other uromastyx species inhabit burrows which they dig in the ground.53 The sample of shed skin tested was more transparent to UVB than bearded dragon skin but whether this is related to the difference in behaviour is not known. In captivity, they might be expected to have a high requirement for UVB light - but also the need to be able to shelter from it in hides or burrows, as they would in the wild at certain times during the day."
More sites.........
http://www.wetlands.org/RSDB/_COP9Directory/Directory/1DZ013.html
"At the Tamantit Oasis, 25 date palm varieties have been identified".
"Among the legumes grown at this oasis are two local cultivars of lentils and green peas. There are also many Saharan cultivars of wheat and barley. Cotton is grown, only at this oasis."
Lots of vegetation and crops and fruit trees here...
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:bXAj0BnjmlgJ:www.wetlands.org/RSDB/_COP9Directory/Directory/ris/1DZ013en.pdf oasis AND uromastyx&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=11
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:bXAj0BnjmlgJ:www.wetlands.org/RSDB/_COP9Directory/Directory/ris/1DZ013en.pdf wetland AND uromastyx&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=5
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=6211&m=0
"The St Katherine Protectorate occupies much of the central part of South Sinai, a mountainous region of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock, which includes Egypt’s highest peaks".
"Dab lizards Uromastyx, hares Lepus, hyrax Procavia capensis and young ibex Capra nubiana are all potentially important prey-items for larger birds of prey. Their decline or disappearance would directly impact the populations of these birds."
http://www.biodiversityscience.org/publications/hotspots/TheHornofAfrica.html
"The most widespread vegetation type of the arid Horn is Acacia-Commiphora bushland (about 30 species of Acacia and 50 species of Commiphora are endemic to the area), but also evergreen bushland, succulent shrubland, dry evergreen forest and woodland, semidesert grassland, and low-growing dune and rock vegetation occupy considerable areas. Succulents are common, including numerous endemic species of, for example, Euphorbia and Aloe. Small areas of mangrove are also found, both on the African and the Arabian side, as well as riverine vegetation along the major rivers: Wabi Shabeelle, Jubba and Awash."
"The endemic Somalian spiny-tail (Uromastyx princeps), for instance, is a diurnal lizard with a short, robust, spiny tail that frequents the limestone plateaus along the Indian Ocean coast in north-eastern Somalia."
http://www.rscn.org.jo/conservationDana.asp
"The Dana Reserve is a system of mountains and wadis, extending from the top of the eastern Rift Valley to desert lowlands of Wadi Araba, an elevation drop of over 1600 meters. It embraces two major biogeographical zones and four distinct vegetation zones."
" 36 species have been recorded in the reserve, out of which four are of global conservational importance: Desert Monitor Varanus griseus, Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia, Chameleon Chamaleo chameleon and Land Tortoise Testudo graeca."
http://www.wii.gov.in/eianew/eia/casestudies/oman-india/baselinestatus.htm
" The saline patch of grassland in the pipeline tract is fairly degraded on account of high grazing pressure from domestic animals and resource exploitation by local community. This grassland has very little potential to support large grazing ungulate species. A few reptilian species that have become adapted to the degraded habitat condition of this area include Monitor lizard (Varanus sp.) and Spiny tailed lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii)."
http://www.enhg.org/ENHG Newsletters/2002/03_mar2002/mar2002.htm
"I attended the conference as a relative novice, compared to the "who's who" in herpetology, and presented a paper on the feeding ecology of the Spiny-tail Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis or "Dhub"
from the UAE. Spiny-tail Lizards are large ground dwelling herbivorous (plant eating) lizards found on gravel terrain and inter-dune compact soils throughout the UAE, although nowhere common. Judging from my study population, in the Al Ain area, plants favoured include the coarse desert grasses (Pennisetum divisum and Stipagrostis plumosa) as well as the evergreen herbs, Moltkiopsis ciliata and Monsonia nivea. Perennial plant species form the basis of their diet in the UAE while most other Spiny-tail Lizard studies indicate their preference for annual plant species. This can however be ascribed to the lack of rain in the study area since initiating this study in May 1999. The lizards are also almost exclusively herbivorous with arthropods making up less than 1% of their diet compared to 6% for Uromastyx acanthinura (another Spiny-tail Lizard species from Morocco)."
