Description
Adapted to live in soft sand, similarly to the sand boa, it has smooth shiny scales and a wedge shaped head that enables the Sand Fish to swim through the soft sand of its preferred sandy dune habitat.
It also has vertical black bars on its sides which are a distinguishing feature when compared to the similar sand skink (Scincus scincus conirostris) that also occurs in the UAE. Unlike many reptiles the Sand Fish will bear live young. Still sort after by Bedouin as a delicacy, the head and tail are cut off and the body cooked in coals.
Range & Habitat
Species in the Scincus genus are distributed over an extensive belt of desert from Africa, through the Sahara and into Arabia . In Arabia, there are isolated populations of the eastern sandfish in northeast Yemen, southern Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.Found in arid sandy dune environments
Breeding
The breeding season is between May and June and they appears to produce just one clutch per year.
Scientific Name Scincus mitranus
Arabic Name N/A
Tagged As Reptile, Skink