- Animals
- ›Chordates
- ›Vertebrates
- ›Reptiles
- ›Snakes and Lizards
- ›Lizards
- ›Wall lizards, amphisbaenians, and allies
- ›Wall Lizards
- ›Eremiadinae
- ›Meroles
Shovel-snouted Lizard
Meroles anchietae
The shovel-snouted lizard (Meroles anchietae), also known commonly as Anchieta's desert lizard, Anchieta's dune lizard and the Namib sand-diver, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
From the article Shovel-snouted lizard on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The preferred natural habitat of M. anchietae is desert, with aeolian sand dunes and sparse vegetation, at altitudes from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft).
Wikipedia: “Habitat”
What it does
M. anchietae preys upon insects, especially small beetles, as well as fresh plants. Some individuals in the Namib Desert have been observed to eat seeds occasionally, while others consume seeds exclusively. Such seeds are typically eaten in their green, unripe phase, and could thus be considered a form of herbivory rather than granivory.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
In human culture
The specific name, anchietae, is in honor of Portuguese naturalist José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, who was an explorer of Africa.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Meroles anchietae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 35822.