Saara hardwickii (Gray, 1827)

Head Morphology

Hardwicke's spiny-tailed lizard, Saara hardwickii, has a rounded head with a flat snout.

Base Body Coloration

Its body color is most commonly yellowish brown, sandy, or olive.

Body Markings

Individuals may have black spots, vermiculations, and a distinct black spot on the front of the thigh.

Body Shape and Skin

It has a dorso-ventrally flattened body with wrinkled skin.

Tail Scale Structure

Its tail features whorls of spiny scales, with large spines along the side.

Geographic Tail Color Variation

Tail color ranges from bluish-grey in specimens from Jaisalmer to sand-coloured in specimens from Kutch.

Seasonal Color Variation

The overall color of the lizard varies, with darker individuals appearing during colder seasons.

Type Locality

The type locality for S. hardwickii is Kanauj district, Uttar Pradesh.

General Habitat Type

It lives in dry desert tracts across the northern half of the plains of India extending into Pakistan.

Eastern to Western Range Extent

Its range stretches from Uttar Pradesh in the east westward to Rajasthan and the Kachchh area of Gujarat.

Rajasthan Distribution

The hot Thar Desert is this species' stronghold, and it is found extensively across the Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Barmer, and Churu districts of Rajasthan.

Southern and Eastern Range Extensions

It is also present in parts of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, and in the Kohistan area of Sindh surrounding Karachi and Thana Bula Khan.

Substrate and Colony Habits

This lizard generally inhabits firm ground rather than pure sand dunes, and is often found living in colonies, sometimes on the outskirts of villages.

Elevated Habitat Preference

It prefers elevated patches of land; this is especially true in Kutch, where it is always found on isolated patches of high ground (called Bets) that lie above the monsoon water level.

Diet and Dental Adaptation

Hardwicke's spiny-tailed lizard is largely herbivorous, and its teeth are adapted for a plant-based diet.

Plant Food Sources

Its plant food includes the flowers and fruits of kair (Capparis aphylla), the beans of khejri (Prosopis spicigera), the fruit of Salvadora persica, and grass.

Locust Feeding Habit

In areas where locusts breed, this lizard is known to feed on both nymph and adult locusts.

Seasonal Foraging and Diet Variation

In summer, it tends to forage more actively in the mornings and feeds on insects to a greater extent, while during the monsoon it feeds mainly on herbs and grasses.