Omani Spiny-tailed Lizard

Uromastyx species range in size from 25 cm (10 in) for U. macfadyeni to 91 cm (36 in) or more for U. aegyptia. Hatchlings or neonates are usually no more than 7–10 cm (3–4 in) in length. Like many reptiles, these lizards' colors change according to the temperature and season. During cool weather they appear dull and dark, but the colors become lighter in warm weather, especially when basking. The darker pigmentation allows their skin to absorb sunlight more effectively. Their spiked tail is muscular and heavy, and is able to be swung at an attacker with great velocity, usually accompanied by hissing and an open-mouthed display of (small) teeth. Uromastyx generally sleep in their burrows with their tails closest to the opening, in order to thwart intruders.

Uromastyx inhabit a range stretching through most of North and Northeast Africa, the Middle East, ranging as far east as Iran. Species found further east are now placed in the genus Saara. Uromastyx occur at elevations from sea level to well over 900 m (3,000 ft). They are regularly eaten, and sold in produce markets, by local peoples.

Uromastyx lizards acquire most of the water they need from the vegetation they ingest. In the wild they generally eat any surrounding vegetation. When hatching, baby Uromastyx eat their own mother's feces as their first meal before heading off to find a more sustainable food source. They do this to establish a proper gut flora, essential for digesting the plants that they eat. In the wild, adult U. dispar maliensis have been reported to eat insects at certain times of the year, when it is hot and their only food source available would be insects.