The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Tuesday launched its first-ever device to track the spiny-tailed lizard roaming Jordan’s Fifa Nature Reserve. The effort is part of the society’s threatened species program, which was launched in 2014.

The tracking device was designed to monitor the movement of the spiny-tailed lizard and its feeding zones during the year, which helps researchers improve conservation efforts in the nature reserve, Omar Abed, an engineer and researcher at the Biodiversity Monitoring Zone, said in a statement sent to Jordan News.

Abed stated that the spiny-tailed lizard is considered a keystone species; It burrows into the earth using its claws, creating shelters for many reptiles and insects.

Ibrahim Mahasneh, director of the Fifa Nature Reserve, said that the spiny-tailed lizard can easily be spotted basking in the sun as it is cold blooded and needs to directly absorb heat from the sun for energy.

If the lizard senses a close threat, it immediately escapes to its shelter and, in some cases, uses its tail to attack its predator, according to Mahasneh.

The spiny-tailed lizard lives in desert and semi-desert climates, including those of Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and other areas in the Gulf.

Source: Jordan News