Seasonal Variation in Daily Activity Pattern in a Population of Spiny-Tailed Lizard, Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis, from the United Arab Emirates

Peter L. Cunningham

Abstract


Seasonal comparisons of the daily activity pattern of 20 Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis individuals, indicate that they are diurnal and emerge early in the morning during summer and spring (6:30 – 8:30) with average ambient temperatures between 27.5 – 28.5°C and later during winter and autumn (10:00 – 12:00) with average ambient winter temperatures of 21.6°C. More time is spent basking during winter (182 ± 80.4 min per individual) than during any other month. Den clearing activities mainly take place during autumn with 69% of the observed individuals involved in this activity then. Foraging mainly takes place during autumn (62%, 11:00 – 12:00) and spring (70%, 10:00 – 11:00) with 46.5 ± 40.5 min (autumn) and 40.4 ± 15.7 min (spring) on average per individual spent on this activity. Foraging distance from the burrow is highest during the dry summer months with an average distance of 81.9 ± 74.9m per individual observed. Retreating underground takes place with average ambient temperatures varying from 23.6 ± 0.6°C during winter to 35.7 ± 2.2°C during summer.

Keywords


spiny-tail lizard; Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis; daily activity pattern; reptiles; Arabia; United Arab Emirates

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2009-16-1-6-10

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