- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Agamidae
- Genus: Uromastyx
- Species: Uromastyx acanthinura
- Uromastyx acanthinura occupies desert habitats, but specifically occupies rocky areas that can support its burrows.
- In the desert, its most common habitats are rocky or semi-rocky sandy areas and, rarely, open sandy desert.
- The burrows that this species builds are often beneath bushes or in high rocky cliffs.
- North African spiny-tailed lizards attain a maximum total body length of 40 to 43 cm and an adult mass of 450 g.
- These lizards have a dorsally flattened body and the tail, as the name would suggest, is large and covered with ringed spines.
- Individuals may exhibit wide variation in color as the scales of adults are at times either a mottled red, orange, green, or yellow, though the basic color is gray.
- The international trade of Uromastyx acanthinura is currently regulated by CITIES and is listed with all other Uromastyx species in Appendix II.
- Successful trade regulation is difficult to enforce as many can be sold through underground markets.
- This species is often misidentified, therefore making regulation increasingly difficult.
- Additional threats to this species includes agricultural grazing on plants that U. acanthinura commonly eats which creates competition for resources.
- More important factors that threaten its survival tend to come from humans through the pet trade and trapping for food and medicine.
- Road mortality is of great concern as the heat-absorbing roads are an attractive basking spot for these lizards.