The Red-tailed Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus, or the "Spanish acanthodactylus"), is considered to be the fastest member of the huge Lacertidae

Lacertidae

Lacertidae is the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The group includes the genus Lacerta, which contains some of the most commonly seen lizard species in Europe...

 family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

. The lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

's name refers to the spines that are arranged like a comb on its hind legs.

The Acanthodactylus

Acanthodactylus

Acanthodactylus is a genus of lizards within the Lacertidae family, commonly referred to as fringe-fingered or fringe-toed lizards ....

is native to a wide area of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and southern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, being found across the Sahara Desert and on the Iberian peninsula

Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...

. Though the lizard prefers dry and sparsely vegetated regions, it is not restricted to arid

Desert

A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

 terrain, and it is not uncommon to find it in other environments.

The lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

's coloration and the pattern of its spots are extremely variable. As result, zoologists have from time to time classified such variations as separate species.

The spiny-footed lizard does not have a particularly pleasant nature. Like every member of this genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

, it is very aggressive and bites tenaciously if one tries to catch it. Individuals are continuously involved in skirmishes with other members of the species and the male

Male

Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...

s strenuously defend the borders of their territories

Territory (animal)

In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...

.

The Acanthodactylus is oviparous. The number of eggs in a clutch varies from three to seven. The average length of an adult of the species is between 18 and 20 centimetres.

External links

• http://www.ittiofauna.org/webmuseum/rettili/acantodactylus_erythrurus01.htm
• http://pdubois.free.fr/espece.php?MyEspece=ACAERY
• http://www.mediterranea.org/cae/divulgac/reptiles/lagcolir.htm