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Zeqi Luan/sandbox
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Acanthodactylus
Species:	A. schmidti
Binomial name
Acanthodactylus schmidti G. Haas, 1957
Synonyms
Acanthodactylus cantoris schmidti G. Haas, 1957 Acanthodactylus schmidti — Arnold, 1980

Description

Acanthodactylus schmidts, also called Schmidt’s fringed-toed lizard, is a medium-sized species of lizard endemic to Western Asia. This species belongs to the family of Lacertidae. The specific name of this species is in honors of Karl Patterson Schmidt, an American herpetologist. Georg Haas, one of the founders of Israeli zoology, first discovered and named this lizard in 1975. Acanthodactylus schmidts are gentle and quiet, often staying in one place for hours, and they usually need to live in a warmer environment. proper temperature changes can stimulate its digestion and nutrient absorption. enhance its immune ability and resist infection. Their preferred natural habitats are deserts at an altitude of 1000m above sea level. The largest specimen of male lizard ever recorded has length of 10.3cm. While they are more active during the day and night, they can tolerate higher temperatures than most reptiles, and they usually hide in the shade when the temperature is close to 38°C (100°F). Males often threaten each other by nodding, and by a series of complex movements and displaying their dancing skill to establish dominance. If that is not enough, they open their noses and open their jaws to threaten each other. Females may sometimes chase and fight, while underage lizard’s mimic adult behavior. The females reproduce in a manner as much as other lizards and amphibians. That is, they lay eggs rather than develop embryo within the body. These lizards are rated as Least Concern on their conservation status because of their large population.

Living Environment

Acanthodactylus schmidts lives mainly in desert area of counties, such as Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates . As desert environment changes, many areas are no longer suitable for the growth of this lizard . Only Jordan's animal sanctuaries have protected areas specifically for Acanthodactylus schmidts and Lacertidae family. It seems that there is no protected area for this species in Iran. The Khamis Port is one of the driest areas in southern Iran, with relatively high humidity (75%). Local average annual rainfall is about 120 mm, and temperatures ranges from 1 °C in winter to 50 °C in summer . In this habitat, there is no vegetation, except isolated shrubs and needle-like leaves in this area. Acanthodactylus schmidts spend the hot period hiding under these dense bushes, and come out to run on the ground in the early morning and evening when the air becomes relatively cool and fresh.

 Body structure

Acanthodactylus schmidts is a 10cm-long medium-sized lizard. Its tail is usually 1.5-2 times the body length. The body color is similar to sand. There are six light longitudinal stripes in adolescents, four of which will disappear when they enter adulthood. The remaining two are in the middle of the adult's back. Its ventral surface is all white. Its tail has a black ring and a white dot. The head is elongated, similar to that of dinosaur. It has a very long tongue equivalent to one-half of its body length, which can stick out at a lightning speed to catch prey. Acanthodactylus schmidts has three eyes. The third eye is located above two eyes separated by a row of particles. It is mainly responsible for detecting and regulating light and temperature. The two eyes below have 180 degrees 3D vision. It can use one eye to lock its prey and the other to watch out potential predators. It is often found that Acanthodactylus schmidts keeps still, but in fact his eyes are working. Its tail has no practical use except distracting the attention of predators by the black ring and white dot at the tale’s end. The tale will be abandoned at critical time to avoid predator. New one will develop within three days .

Behavior

Diet

Acanthodactylus schmidts mainly prey on invertebrates such as ants, insects, grasshoppers, beetles, worms, ladybugs, and grass bugs, most of which are pest consuming rare desert plant. Therefore, Schmidt plays an important role in protecting sand plant. Acanthodactylus schmidts' predatory habits are somewhat similar to frogs: sit quietly somewhere, and suddenly stick out its long tongue to stick the insects when they pass by. Sometimes, the lizard can jump as high as 20-30 cm to catch bugs. They are often found near the ant hills, where they sit and wait for the ant to pass by. Ant body contains a large amount of chitin, a non-digestible compound. When Acanthodactylus schmidts go to take a rest after meal, they usually shake themselves violently, covering their backs with sand. They only show heads, which allows them to avoid predators and wait for their unsuspecting prey . Acanthodactylus schmidts does not drink. It lives on water in food. It is such capacity that enables them to live in desert. However, it is not always easy to for them to find insects. Sometimes, they live on vegetation, such as various flowers, leaves, as well as fruit and juicy stem of cactus.

Defense

Acanthodactylus schmidts have evolved skin of the same color as sand to protect themselves. When they take a rest, they will bury their body in the sand, only leaving the third eye outside to watch out any enemies that may be approaching. If an enemy approach, Acanthodactylus schmidts will hiss, which a kind of voice. The hiss, one of the first lines of defense, is a warning to predators. If the enemy continues to come closer, Schmidt will raise their bodies to form an attack posture in order to scare off the enemy. In case of an enemy of the same size, Schmidt will use the hardest part of their head to hit the enemy, or quickly swing their tail to slap the enemy. In case of a larger size enemy, they will first choose to run away. When they are under attack, their tail will fall off under violent contraction of the muscles. As some nerves are still alive in the broken tail, the tail will continue to bounce for a while, which helps to distract the enemy's attention during the escape. Acanthodactylus schmidts will not die after losing the tail. In fact, they will resume normal life as the tail will grow within a few days.

Acanthodactylus schmidts are looking for females

Reproduction

Regarding reproduction, most small and medium-sized Schmidt mate at the age of one. Acanthodactylus schmidts will experience a period of inactivation before mating with others. They will hide beneath the ground surface normally from October through March. After 5 months of preparation, the male will begin a long courtship journey. Some males may have to walk a long distance to find females they can mate with. During the mating season, the glands at the bottom of the tail will produce a strong smell to attract the female. Females are usually attracted by the one that emits the strongest odor. However, males will inevitably encounter competitors for mating right. In that case, the males will have a duel. The female will watch the game standing on high rocks, and mate with the winner. In the duel, lizards raise their bodies, shoving and wriggling, in order to gain an advantage. The overwhelming male will press the other, giving out winner’s roar to the female. At the end of the wrestling match, male lizards will be separated by the pressure. Although there are many games, stronger lizards with greater endurance often win and enjoy more success in reproduction. These conflicts are usually observed during the mating season. Although the metabolism of Acanthodactylus schmidts is very low, their aerobic range is very wide (the rate of increase of oxygen consumption ranging from rest to largest metabolic consumption), which allows a period of intense aerobic activities. According to observation, men post a wider aerobic range than women, an evolutionary outcome that is good for prolonged fighting. In successful courting, it is observed that mating lasts from 15 minutes to two and a half hours. Once coitus occurs, the pair will act in their own way, male will continue to look for more females for successful mating. The female must look for a place to protect larvae from predators and bury the eggs in the sand 10 centimeters below the surface of the sand, then leave and never come back. These newborns must find their own way out of eggs. They must also care about their own needs the second they come to the world. These young reptiles instinctively know how to protect themselves: they are miniature of adult parents. However, their small size often makes them easy prey of various predators. Therefore, the mortality rate of young lizards is high. Despite that, there are still a large number of young Schmidt living in the world. For this reason, Acanthodactylus schmidts is not considered to an endangered species because of their shrinking population.

Threat

Acanthodactylus schmidts faces two threats: predators and changing environment. In the desert, lizard predators are mainly snakes or birds, such as eagles and vultures. The powerful stomach acid in the snake can corrode and digest the lizard's hard shell. Hawks or vultures will use their claws and wings to throw their prey from high altitudes onto hard rock until it dies or its shell breaks. There is an orange-naped snake in the desert, which lives on lizards. This snake has a skin color similar to the sand. As their body is small, it is not easy to expose themselves in the sand when they wait for prey to come close. The snake will trap the prey by their strong abdomen and suffocate it to death. In the end, it will swallow the dead lizard and because of powerful stomach acid, the snake only takes half an hour to digest the lizard .

As pollutants creates an Ozone Hole in the atmosphere, more and more ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) could reach the earth's surface. Since 1979, the UV-B radiation has increased by an estimated 5-10% every ten years. Proper ultraviolet radiation is very important for lizards, because the light has a bactericidal function, and ultraviolet light with a wavelength between 290-320mm will directly participate in lizards’ calcium absorption. However, too strong ultraviolet rays can be fatal, as it causes serious harm to their "bare" skin. In addition, it will damage their eyes and sensory system because lizards' eyes are much easier to catch ultraviolet rays.

Amphibian and reptile populations are sensitive to fluctuations in precipitation and precipitation time. Drought is the primary cause of the rapid decrease in desert Schmidt populations. Climate change, including drought, may occur faster than organisms can adapt. In dry season, local precipitation decreases, and plants stop growing or even die. As plants decrease, the number of insects also shrinks, Acanthodactylus schmidts faces scarcity of food and water intake. They may die of drought.