Saara hardwickii

Hardwicke's spiny-tailed lizard, or the Indian spiny-tailed lizard, has a rounded head with a flat snout. It is usually yellowish brown, sandy or olive, with black spots and a distinctive black spot on the front of the thigh, and the tail carries whorls of spiny scales with large spines at the sides. Males measure 40 to 49 cm in total length and females 34 to 40 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).

The species is found in patches across the Thar Desert, Kutch and surrounding arid zones in India and Pakistan. It is mainly herbivorous and lives in loose colonies in some areas, which attracts predators such as raptors and cattle egrets. It digs a sloping, zig-zagging or spiralling burrow over 2 m long. In Kutch it is found on isolated patches of high ground above monsoon water level. It is hunted locally for its fat, believed to be an aphrodisiac, and the lizards are a large part of the diet in parts of Rajasthan.