Shovel-snouted Lizard

Fascinating facts about the Shovel-snouted Lizard

• The thermal dance is not random. Studies show lizards always lift the front-left and back-right foot simultaneously, then the front-right and back-left — a diagonal pair — which maximises surface area off the sand at each moment.
• At night, when temperatures can drop to near freezing, the same lizard burrows into sand to retain body heat — using sand as both an oven and a blanket depending on the time of day.
• The shovel-shaped snout also helps it forage beneath the sand surface where seeds and insect larvae accumulate in the cooler subsurface layer.

At a glance

About the Shovel-snouted Lizard

The Shovel-snouted Lizard lives on the scorching sand dunes of the Namib, one of the driest and hottest deserts on Earth. When the sand surface reaches 70°C, it performs a distinctive 'thermal dance', raising alternating front and back feet and lifting its tail and belly off the sand to survive long enough to reach shade.

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