Round-headed lizard. Lifestyle and habitat of the roundhead

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The spiny tail got its name from its ability to curl its tail into a spiral. This feature serves to communicate with fellow animals and indicate rights to the boundaries of the occupied area. Reptiles love to bask in the sand and sunbathe. They belong to the agamidae family, well adapted to life in the desert.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Vertihvostka

The Latin name Phrynocephalus guttatus was given to the reptile by the German botanist Johann Gmelin in 1789. Another name for the spiny round head is tuzik. The lizard got its name from the pink spot located in the middle of its back, like an ace card, shaped like a diamond suit. The genus of roundheads differs from other representatives of the agamidae family in the ability to curl their tail upwards, the absence of visible eardrums, and the rounded outlines of the head.

Video: Twilight

The species can be identified by the number of scales between the eyes or by the movements of the tail. A closely related species is the mottled roundhead. Moreover, most naturalists generally question the diversity of species. Externally, the reptiles are very similar. The only difference is the protective coloring of the spiny tail. Since the lizard is a desert dweller, its color is sandy gray.

There are 4 subspecies of spiny tails:

• phrynocephalus guttatus guttatus;
• phrynocephalus guttatus alpherakii;
• phrynocephalus guttatus melanurus;
• phrynocephalus guttatus salsatus.

Literature

• Ananyeva N. B., Orlov N. L., Khalikov R. G., Darevsky I. S., Ryabov S. A., Barabanov A. V.
  Atlas of reptiles of Northern Eurasia (taxonomic diversity, geographic distribution and conservation status). - St. Petersburg: Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004. - 232 p. — 1000 copies. — ISBN 5-98092-007-2.
• Ananyeva N. B., Borkin L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L.
  Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of academician. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. lang., 1988. - P. 164-165. — 10,500 copies. — ISBN 5-200-00232-X.

Appearance and features

Photo: What a twirly tail looks like

Lizards are quite small in size. The length of the body together with the tail reaches 13-14 centimeters. Weight is only 5-6 grams. In adult individuals, the tail is one and a half times longer than the body. The length of the head is approximately 1/4 of the entire body, the width is approximately the same. The muzzle is sloping. The upper part of the head is covered with scales and is called the cap. The auditory openings are covered with skin. The scales are almost everywhere smooth.

Enlarged on the back, with ribs. The rounded nostrils are visible from above. There is no transverse skin fold in the upper part of the neck. The upper side of the body is sandy or sandy-brown in color. This background is formed by clusters of gray dots and specks.

There may be larger dark spots on the sides of the ridge. In some places there are small gray dots with brown edging. Along the ridge there are three or four longitudinal stripes of brown, light brown or dark sand color. Similar intermittent strokes run along the upper side of the tail and along the legs. There are two short stripes on the neck. There is a row of white spots along the sides, and underneath there are light dots, merging into an uneven stripe. On the limbs, as well as on the back, there are transverse stripes. The hat is covered in dots and spots of various sizes and shades.

The throat is white with a beige tint. Labial scutes are bright yellow. The parietal eye is pronounced. The tip of the tail is black with a blue tint. At its base the color is more faded, and the bottom is white with light, oblique lines. In young individuals these stripes are brighter. The fourth toe of the hind paw has subdigital plates, and the third toe has sharp spines.

Relationships with relatives

In general, the character of the lizard is quite friendly, however, during the period of mating or defense of territory, skirmishes often occur between males, in which rivals try to scare each other as much as possible. In the technique of intimidation, the roundhead holds the palm because, in a sense, it can turn into a real little dragon.

To do this, she raises the front part of her body, then spreads her hind legs wide and opens her hissing mouth as much as possible, exposing numerous sharp teeth that are not visible in a calm state. Moreover, the skin folds and mucous membrane at the corners of her mouth take on a bright red hue.

The ominous pose is complemented by sharp movements of the paws and twisting of the tail, after which the rivals violently rush at each other. Such sparring ends with temporary respites or complete surrender of one of the opponents.

The character of the lizard is quite friendly, however, during the period of mating or defense of territory, clashes often occur between males.

Where does the spinner live?

Photo: Round-headed frogtail

The vast range of lizards extends from the coast of the Caspian Sea to the western borders of China. The southern border passes through Turkmenistan and the Repetiksky Nature Reserve in the southeast of the country. In Russia, amphibians can be found in Kalmykia, Stavropol Territory, Lower Volga region, Astrakhan, Rostov, Volgograd regions and Dagestan.

Interesting fact: The range boundary is the hottest place on the planet. In summer the air temperature warms up to 50 degrees in the shade.

The largest populations are in Kazakhstan. They live throughout Mongolia. Separate groups of animals live in Azerbaijan, Southern Russia, and Karakalpakstan. In the Asian part of the range, the nominative subspecies is most common. On the territory of the Volgograd region there lives one isolated population in the Golubinsky Sands zone.

Individuals prefer fixed and weakly fixed sands with sparse vegetation. Lizards are able to burrow into the substrate using oscillatory lateral movements. The dug holes are used as shelters. The total length of the inclined stroke reaches 35 centimeters, and the depth is up to 20 centimeters.

The following can be used as temporary shelters:

• cracks in the soil;
• rodent burrows;
• accumulations of leaves and stems of cereals and subshrubs.

The Kazakhlyshor flytail is the only population that lives strictly in the saline desert. Rarely seen on the slopes of dunes. Under suitable conditions it can live in the steppes. Recently, it began to be found in the Orenburg region.

Now you know where the spinning lizard is found. Let's see what she eats.

Keeping at home

Roundheads are very funny creatures, and therefore increasingly attract lovers of home reptile breeding. However, in their desire to have a new pet, many exotic lovers forget to familiarize themselves with the rules of keeping, which ultimately leads to the rapid death of the lizard.

Experts generally do not recommend relocating this reptile to artificial conditions, since it tolerates such experiments extremely poorly.

The main disadvantages of keeping a roundhead as a pet:

• complex care, including constant monitoring of temperature and humidity in the terrarium;
• expensive equipment;
• difficulties with feeding the reptile and providing it with access to water.

Buying and bringing a new exotic resident into your home is not a difficult task, but it is much more difficult to provide such a pet with all the conditions for its full life. And, most importantly, life in captivity deprives any animal of the main value given to it by nature - freedom, and therefore it is worth thinking very carefully before deliberately dooming a living creature to lifelong imprisonment and, probably, quick death.

What does the spiny tail eat?

Photo: Twilight lizard

The animal's diet consists mainly of insects. This gives the right to classify them as myrmecophagous lizards. Among them, the most commonly eaten are:

• ants;
• beetles;
• caterpillars;
• bedbugs;
• Diptera;
• Orthoptera;
• Lepidoptera;
• Hymenoptera;
• butterflies;
• arachnids.

Plant remains—leaves, seeds, as well as sand and small pebbles—are often found in the stomachs of amphibians. Good vision helps the creatures track down prey, but sometimes they mistakenly pounce on weeds blown by the wind across the desert and reflexively swallow them. Only after grabbing the weeds do the reptiles realize that they are inedible. Having spat out a plant unsuitable for food, the lizards indignantly carefully clean their labial cheeks with their tongues. As a result of such an unsuccessful hunt, various small objects can be found in the stomach of animals. Sometimes amphibians can diversify their diet with soft leaves and young blossoming plant buds and flies.

To keep orphans at home, a low terrarium with a volume of 40 liters or more is sufficient. It is necessary to pour a layer of sand on the bottom, and place driftwood and branches as shelters. A drinking bowl and a heating lamp are required. You can feed animals with crickets, mealworm larvae, cockroaches, and caterpillars. It is recommended to add trivitamin and calcium to the food. Other species capture prey with their elongated jaws. However, catching every ant in this way is extremely inconvenient. In this regard, the spiny tails have become adept at grabbing invertebrates with their tongues, like toads. Because of this, their jaws are short, just like frogs.

Skinks

They live everywhere except Antarctica. They have smooth fish-like scales. The temporal arches are well developed. Among them there are such striking representatives as blue-tongued skinks - gigantic or tiliqua. They live in Australia and the islands of Oceania.

Their size is not so impressive - up to 50 cm. But the body is very wide and powerful. An individual touch is a wide tongue of deep blue color. Perhaps these are the consequences of the diet. They prefer to eat shellfish and plants.

Among skinks, there are species with unusual eyes - with a transparent window on the lower eyelid. They always see, even when they close their eyes. And gologlaz have transparent eyelids fused together, like snakes. These “lenses” allow them to absolutely not blink.

Members of the family represent a smooth transition to legless forms - from normally developed limbs and five fingers to shortened and reduced variants, and finally, completely legless. There are short-tailed, prehensile-tailed and spiny-tailed species, as well as semi-aquatic, floral and desert species.

In the Russian Federation live:

The long-legged skink is found in Central Asia, Eastern Transcaucasia and southeast Dagestan. Up to 25 cm in size, movable eyelids, very brittle tail. The color is brownish-olive with grey. Bright and variegated longitudinal stripes are visible on the sides.

Far Eastern skink, resident of the Kuril and Japanese islands. Olive-gray in color with a bluish-pearl long tail. Included in the Red Book of Russia.

Fusiformes – 3 families

Veretenitaceae

Among them there are crawling, snake-like ones, and ordinary ones - on four five-toed paws. All scales are supported by bone plates called osteoderms. Some have stretchable folds of skin on their sides, which make it easier for them to breathe and swallow food. Unlike snakes, they have movable eyelids and auditory openings. The jaws are strong, the teeth are dull. There are viviparous species.

In the Russian Federation live:

The brittle spindle or slow spindle is a legless lizard up to 50-60 cm long. Its shape resembles a spindle. The color is reddish-gray or brown, or bronze-copper, for which it received its second name.

The yellowtail or capercaillie is also a legless lizard. Or rather, there are still hind limbs, but they represent very small tubercles near the anus. It can reach 1.5 m in length. The head is tetrahedral, with a pointed muzzle. The color is olive-gray with brick tones.

Monitor lizards - now there are 3 families left

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Vertihvostka

Amphibians prefer a sedentary lifestyle. Each individual acquires its own feeding area. Males have larger territories than females. Their area sometimes reaches several hundred square meters. Males of this species do not guard their lands as zealously as other members of the genus. In case of any danger, lizards bury themselves in the sand. In cold weather, they bask in the sand and rest. The creatures dig their own burrows, which are divided into 2 types: summer and winter. The former are short-lived and quickly deteriorate. The second ones are deeper, up to 110 centimeters.

Interesting fact: Like cats, the mood of a fiddler can be recognized by the movements of its tail.

Amphibians can run fast and jump up to 20 centimeters in height. With the help of their tail, they show a variety of gestures with which they communicate with each other. Due to their protective coloring, the spiny tails become unnoticeable not only to their enemies, but also to their fellow creatures. The tail allows them to see each other and give signals. They move around their lands at a fast gallop, stopping from time to time to look around.

Their tails curl and straighten very quickly. This behavior is atypical for other species and played a major role in the basic name of these animals. Lizards need to maintain a constant body temperature. If it is low, the reptiles find a sunny spot to soak up the temperature from the hot sand. To get rid of excess heat, spiny roundheads seek shelter in the shade and burrow into holes.

Interesting fact: Individuals molt once or twice a year. The process takes about two days. At this time, amphibians walk around with developing scraps of skin. To get rid of them as quickly as possible, reptiles scrape them off in large patches.

Round head feeding

The main diet of the roundhead is insects and invertebrates. Depending on its habitat, the lizard can feed on beetles, ants, spiders, butterflies, their larvae, and moths. With the help of a sticky tongue and keen vision, the reptile manages to feast to its fill.

Round head butcher

Moloch eats foraging ants in a very interesting way. Due to the fact that ants secrete formic acid in times of danger, the lizard tries to capture the insect while they are working (transporting cargo along the ant path). During this period, insects are busy and may simply not notice the impending danger.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: What a twirly tail looks like

The breeding season begins in April-May. The sex ratio is 1:1 - one female for one male. Individuals do not form permanent pairs. The female decides who she will mate with and who will father her children. They simply run away from an unwanted suitor. Often rejected gentlemen begin to pursue the lady of their heart. In this case, the female tries to fight back: she turns towards the male, lowers her head down, and bends her body. Sometimes the female can step on the male with her mouth open and try to bite him. If all methods are ineffective, the lizard simply falls on its back and lies until it is left alone.

If the union takes place, after two to three weeks the female lays one or two oblong eggs with a diameter of 8-17 millimeters. During the season, lizards manage to make two clutches. Amphibians grow quickly, reaching sexual maturity at 12-14 months. Eggs are laid from May to July. The first yearlings are born in early July. The extended reproductive period is compared with different times of follicle maturation in individuals of different ages. Large adult females lay eggs earlier than those that have recently reached sexual maturity. The body length of newborn reptiles, including the tail, is 6-8 centimeters. Parents do not take care of their children, so babies are independent from birth.

Making a home for a lizard

Next, we will look at the equipment that is necessary to create a comfortable terrarium for your pet lizard. Each species of lizard requires individual living conditions. And before purchasing a specific reptile, you need to familiarize yourself with them. A universal cozy environment implies:

• separate temperature mode, not room temperature;
• humidity;
• required soil;
• rotation of sunlight (replacement).

The main thing is that the created environment in the box should be as close as possible to the natural one, and this lizard lives in the desert, so we need to start from here. To do this, you need to consider several important aspects:

1. Variety of terrariums. There are various terrariums on sale - horizontal, cubic and vertical. Horizontal houses are suitable for amphibious reptiles that live in large open areas. Vertical terrariums are necessary for arboreal and mountain species. The cube is universal.
2. The size of the dwelling. Depending on the pet’s height, the appropriate box is selected. According to experts, the terrarium for a land lizard should be elongated. The optimal ratio: length – width – height 2-1-1. It is necessary that in any house the pet is comfortable and not cramped. Housing for reptiles consists of glass, less often plexiglass and plastic.
3. Filling the nursery. Each house for reptiles should have special equipment: a thermometer, a compressor for air temperature, humidity, lighting. The lizard's day length is 10-14 hours.

When installing light lamps, it is necessary to take into account the volume of the area. Universal lamps with a power of 15-40 W. There should also be an ultraviolet lamp. Lighting fixtures must be attached no closer than 60 centimeters to the pet. It is not recommended to place the terrarium on a window in order to save energy. Lack of light can cause your pet's skin to become dull. Maintaining a warm temperature inside the reptile box is essential. For the autumn and winter periods the temperature corresponds to 18-22 degrees, and for summer 22-27 and 19 degrees at night.

On an ongoing basis, you need to ensure a flow of fresh air into the terrarium - make small holes in the lid and walls of the box. Don't forget about the humidity inside the box. It should be from 70 to 90%. A small pool and greenery will support it. The bottom of the terrarium should be covered with special soil - crushed stone, sand, stones, marble, granite, moss, leaves. All this is at the discretion of the owner. The litter should be no more than 12 centimeters. And to create a beautiful environment inside, you can place decorative pots, pieces of wood, stones and more.

The place where the terrarium will be located should be bright and the support stable. Many lizard breeders hang the box on the wall. Your pet should be cleaned every day. General cleaning (changing litter - soil) can be done less frequently. These actions will allow the pet to live in coziness and comfort, and will also prevent the appearance of harmful microorganisms so that the reptile does not get sick. If any are found, then disinfection must be carried out.

Natural enemies of fidgety creatures

Photo: Vertigo in nature

Lizards of this species are hunted by various snakes and birds, other amphibians - reticulated and lined foot-and-mouth disease, and mammals. Reptiles are caught by feral and domestic dogs. Being a small species, whirligigs constantly strive to grab larger animals. Since lizards communicate primarily through their tail, dropping it would be akin to numbness. Loss of vision would be fatal for reptiles, but the loss of a tail means the absence of any contact with relatives. In this regard, it is very difficult to meet an individual without a tail. You can pick them up without fear of autotomy.

The creatures can notice the enemy at a distance of 30 meters. The most insidious are the nocturnal predators. Some jerboas dig lizards out of their holes and eat them. Animals spend their entire lives in limited territories, where every bush and hole is familiar to them. Only natural enemies or natural disasters can drive them away from their usual habitat.

Vertigoths often do not completely submerge in the sand. They leave their heads above the surface and motionless watch everything that happens. If an enemy approaches, amphibians either burrow deeper into the sand or crawl out of their shelter and run away. Sometimes such a rapid jump can confuse even a determined predator.

Coloring

Typically, desert lizards have a sandy coloration, which helps them hide from their enemies. The roundhead is no exception: its body is most often sand-colored with a yellowish or flesh-pink tint; the sides are brighter than the back. The head and body are decorated with camouflage colors, which are irregularly outlined dark lines. They form a complex mosaic of ovals, circles and spots. The underside of the lizard is milky white. There is a black spot on the chest (in females it is less bright than in males). The throat may have a dark marbled pattern. The end of the tail is jet black.

Population and species status

Photo: What a twirly tail looks like

Overgrowing of sandy massifs leads to an annual decrease in the number of roundheads. In the wild, the lifespan of reptiles is 3-5 years. At home and in zoos, some individuals live up to 6-7 years of age. Good adaptation to specific living conditions makes creatures extremely vulnerable to their changes. While other species of amphibians easily get used to the expansion of human agricultural activity, mass construction, and the appearance of water in the desert, the spiny tails disappear irrevocably from such zones.

The spring settlement of the species is distributed into several age groups: one or two groups of young animals, three or four females and two or three groups of males. In general, the species is considered common with average abundance. For example, in Kalmykia there are 3-3.5 individuals per kilometer. A study was carried out on the territory of the Astrakhan region, during which it turned out that in an isolated area of ​​0.4 hectares, surrounded by conditions atypical for the species to avoid migration, in May 2010 the number of individuals encountered once was 21 units, and those encountered 6 times - 2.

Exactly one year later, the number of individuals encountered once was equal to 40, and those encountered 6 times - 3. But in September 2011, the number of lizards encountered once amounted to 21, and there were no more lizards encountered 5 or 6 times.

Habitat

The species' range is represented by a number of isolated populations, the distribution of which is entirely determined by the presence of massifs of shifting sands, but covers desert and semi-desert zones in the eastern Ciscaucasia (including foothills of Dagestan, Kalmykia and the eastern part of Chechnya), in the south of the Astrakhan region. in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, northeastern China, Iran and Afghanistan. The northern border of distribution from the Makhachkala region (Sarykum dune) in Dagestan rises to the northwest up to the Astrakhan sands inclusive, covers the entire Volga-Ural sands in the east and, rounding the Mugodzhar mountains from the south, then passes into the lower reaches of the Irgiz. To the east along the northern edge of the Muyun-Kum desert it reaches the southern coast of Balkhash and further into the Alakol basin.

The long-eared roundhead is a typical inhabitant of dunes and various types of weakly fixed sands with sparse shrub and herbaceous vegetation. The long-eared roundhead lives only in places with loose sand. These can be completely devoid of vegetation, real moving sands, in which, it seems, there is nothing living; and sand hills - dunes with single desert trees and shrubs at the base; and sandy plains with sparse shrubby and ephemeral vegetation; and deserted pastures with grass eaten away by sheep and sand crushed by hundreds of hooves. These roundheads can also be found in areas with dense soil, but only if there are real sands nearby. In suitable habitats it is a fairly common and conspicuous species. Sometimes it settles on roadsides and on the tops of strongly fixed dunes, where it forms isolated settlements.

Desert birds

Griffon Vulture

Red Book bird within Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The predator is named white-headed because it is mostly brown. White color is present only on the head and a little on the legs of the bird. It is a large flying predator, weighing up to 15 kilograms. The wingspan of the vulture reaches 3 meters, and the length of the bird is 110 centimeters.

The head of the vulture is covered with short fluff. Because of this, the body seems disproportionately large, because it is hidden under full, long feathers.

Barn owls are considered long-lived, living from sixty to seventy years

Vulture

All 15 species of vultures live in desert areas. Most birds do not exceed 60 centimeters in length. Vultures weigh about 2 kilograms.

All vultures have a large and hooked beak, bare neck and head, hard feathers and a pronounced crop.

The vulture is a big lover of carrion

Ostrich

The largest flightless birds. Ostriches cannot fly into the air not only because of their heavy weight, but also because of their underdeveloped feathers. They resemble fluff and are not able to withstand air currents.

The African ostrich weighs about 150 kilograms. One bird egg is 24 times larger than a chicken egg. The ostrich also holds the record for running speed, accelerating up to 70 kilometers per hour.

Ostrich is the largest bird on the planet

Vulture

What animals in the desert can stop being found? Vultures. Over the past decades, only 10% of the population has remained. The species is listed in the International Red Book. Their prey is partly to blame for the birds' deaths. They eat food and grass “stuffed” with pesticides.

The second factor in the decline in the vulture population is poaching. They also hunt protected rhinoceroses and elephants. Vultures flock to the carcasses until they are transported.

Employees of environmental organizations are combing desert areas, focusing specifically on flocks of scavenger birds. In order not to find the main prey of poachers, they also shoot vultures.

Looking out for prey, vultures are able to rise above the ground more than 11 kilometers. Other birds are not capable of flying higher than Everest.

Jay

The saxaul jay lives in deserts. She is the size of a blackbird. The jay weighs about 900 grams. The color of the bird is ashen on the back and pinkish on the chest and belly. The tail and wings are black and have a blue tint. The animal has long gray legs and an elongated, pointed beak.

The desert jay prefers to feed on coprophages. These are organisms that eat feces. Accordingly, saxaul jays look for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the excrement of other animals.

Desert Raven

Otherwise called brown-headed. Not only the head, but also the neck and back are chocolate-colored. The length of the bird is 56 centimeters. The bird weighs about half a kilo and is found in Central Asia, the Sahara, and the deserts of Sudan.

The desert raven nests on acacia, saxaul, and tamarisk. Females build nests on them together with males, using the dwelling for several years in a row.

Desert Shrike

It belongs to the passeriformes, weighs about 60 grams, and reaches a length of 30 centimeters. The color of the bird is gray-gray. Black stripes run from the eyes to the neck.

The shrike is one of the desert animals of Russia and is found in the European part of the country. Beyond its borders, the bird is found in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan.

Ryabka

Lives in the deserts of Africa and Eurasia. Like many birds of arid areas, sandgrouses fly for water for many kilometers. During the breeding season, chicks remain in the nest. Sgrouse bring them water on their feathers. They absorb moisture from representatives of the species.

There are 14 species of sandgrouse in nature. All live in arid steppes and deserts. In order to water the chicks, the hazel grouse “covered” even their paws and toes with feathers. From the outside it seems strange why a desert dweller needs such a warm “fur coat”.

Desert Mammals

Caracal

This is a desert cat. Easily kills antelope. The predator is able to do this not only with its powerful grip and dexterity, but also with its size. The length of the caracal reaches 85 centimeters. The height of the animal is half a meter. The color of the animal is sandy, the fur is short and soft. The ears have long awn tassels. This makes the caracal look like a lynx.

The desert lynx is solitary and active at night. With the onset of darkness, the predator hunts medium-sized mammals, birds, and reptiles.

The name caracal can be translated as “black ear”

Giant mole rat

A representative of the mole rat family weighs almost a kilo and is 35 centimeters long. Hence the name. The animal is blind because it leads a life similar to that of a mole. The desert dweller also digs tunnels in the ground. To do this, the animal is equipped with powerful claws and large teeth protruding from its mouth. But the mole rat does not have ears or eyes. Because of this, the animal’s appearance is intimidating.

Mole rats are desert animals that can be encountered by residents of the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. Sometimes animals are found in steppe regions. However, living underground, mole rats rarely appear above it. If this happens, the animals burrow back at lightning speed. Therefore, the habits of mole rats are poorly studied even by zoologists.

The mole rat has no eyes, it navigates by ultrasonic vibrations

long eared hedgehog

This is the smallest representative of the hedgehog family. In the desert, the animal runs the risk of overheating, which is why it has grown large ears. Unlike the rest of the body, they are naked. The open area of ​​the skin releases excess heat into the environment. This happens due to the expansion of capillaries. Their dense network penetrates every millimeter of the hedgehog’s ears.

With a body length of 20 centimeters, the spines of the long-eared hedgehog extend by 2.5 centimeters. The color of the tips varies depending on the habitat of the mammal. Due to the coloring of the needles, the hedgehog is camouflaged among the surrounding landscape.

You can, of course, distinguish an eared hedgehog from a regular hedgehog by its large ears.

Manul

It usually settles in the steppes, but in the south of Turkmenistan it also lives in deserts. Outwardly, the manul resembles a long-haired domestic cat. However, her face is fierce. Due to the anatomical structure, a cat's face always looks unhappy. It is difficult to train a Pallas's cat. It's easier to have a caracal at home.

The ends of the Pallas' hair are white. The remaining area of ​​the hairs is gray. As a result, the color of the animal looks silver. There are black stripes on the face and tail.

Manul is the rarest type of cat

fennec

Otherwise called desert forest. Among the red cheats, the animal is the smallest, and not red at all. Fennec fox color is sandy. The animal also differs in its ears. Their length is 15 centimeters. The purpose of wearing such large ears on a miniature body is thermoregulation, as is the case with the desert hedgehog.

Fennec ears are adaptations of desert animals that serve another function. Large sinks capture the slightest vibrations in the air. This is how the fox cub identifies reptiles, rodents and other small animals that it feeds on.

Fenech cats are often kept as pets

Dune cat

It lives in the deserts of northern Africa and central Asia. This is the first time the animal has been spotted in the sands of Algeria. The discovery dates back to the 15th century. Then a French expedition walked through the deserts of Algeria. It included a naturalist. He described a previously unseen animal.

The sand cat has a wide head with equally wide-set ears. Their shells face forward. The ears are large. There are some sort of whiskers on the cat's cheeks. There is dense fur even on the pads of the paws. This is a device that saves the skin of a predator from burns when walking on hot sand.

The sand cat is one of the most secretive animals

Meerkats

One of the few socially organized inhabitants of deserts, they live in families of 25-30 individuals. While some are getting food, others are standing guard. Rising on their hind legs, the animals inspect the surroundings for approaching predators.

Meerkats are desert animals located among the savannas of Africa. There, animals of the mongoose family dig underground passages, going 2 meters deep. They hide in holes and raise children. By the way, meerkats do not have courtship. Males literally rape females, attacking and taking when the chosen one is exhausted from the fight.

Meerkats live in clans in which each has a certain status

Pereguzna

Refers to mustelids. Externally, the animal resembles a ferret with large ears and a blunt muzzle. The color of the peregrine is variegated. Black spots alternate with beige and white.

The length of the saddle is 50 centimeters including the tail. The animal weighs about half a kilogram. Being small in size, the animal is a predator, settling in the burrows of its victims. At the same time, peregrines are excellent at climbing trees. The animals do this alone, uniting with relatives only during the mating season.

In the photo there is a re-dressing or bandaging

Jerboa

Rodents cannot be more than 25 centimeters in length. Most of it comes from a long tail with a brush at the end. The body of the animal is compact. The jerboa's paws are jumping, and the hand on the tail acts as a rudder in the air.

The fauna of the desert is complemented by not a single jerboa, but about 10 species. The smallest of them do not exceed 4-5 centimeters in length.

Jerboas have a large number of enemies, which negatively affects their life expectancy

Camel

In North Africa the animal is sacred. The fur of camels reflects light, saving the “ships of the desert” from the heat. Camels store water in their humps. Some animal species have two of them, while others have one. The filler is encased in fat. When there is a lack of water, it splits, releasing moisture.

When water supplies are depleted in the humps, camels unerringly find sources of moisture. Animals can smell them at a distance of 60 kilometers. Also, “ships of the desert” have excellent vision. Camels notice movements at a distance of a kilometer. Animals also navigate among the dunes using visual memory.

A camel's humps contain not water, but adipose tissue that can be converted into energy.

Addax

This is a large antelope. It reaches 170 centimeters in length. The height of the animal is approximately 90 centimeters. The antelope weighs up to 130 kilograms. The color of the ungulate is sandy, but there are white spots on the ears and face. The head is decorated with long horns curved in a large wave.

Of all the antelopes, the addax is best adapted to life among the dunes. In the sands, ungulates find sparse vegetation, from which they obtain not only nutrients, but also water.

Antelope addax

Dorcas

The Dorcas gazelle is small and slender. The color of the animal is beige on the back and almost white on the belly. Males have folds of skin on the bridge of their nose. The horns of males are more curved. In females, the outgrowths are almost straight and about 20 centimeters long. Males' horns reach 35.

The length of the most ungulate is 130 centimeters. At the same time, the animal weighs about 20 kilograms.

Behavior

The long-eared roundhead is active during daylight hours. She spends cool nights in a layer of sand heated by the sun, digging holes in it up to 1 m long and burrowing into it using vibration of the whole body.

Early in the morning, heat-loving reptiles emerge from their shelters and look for a warm place, spreading their entire bodies on it. So they try to get as much sunlight as possible. Typically, thermal baths take place at the top of the dune, which also serves as an observation post.

Representatives of this species fiercely defend the boundaries of their occupied home ranges from any incursions by their fellow tribesmen. They can inflict very painful bites on each other. Fortunately, the resulting wounds heal quickly and are rarely fatal.

Territoriality is demonstrated by all reptiles without exception, regardless of gender and age.

Males are characterized by increased aggressiveness. The owner of the site first shakes his head in warning, twirls his tail menacingly and rushes at his opponent with a hiss.

If the trespasser does not immediately retreat, a fight is inevitable. The opponents scare each other in every possible way, open their mouths threateningly and raise a column of dust around them with their paws. They stand on their hind legs to appear larger, or turn sideways to show off their broad backs.

This is followed by a lightning-fast throw, and sharp teeth dig into the enemy’s flesh.