Anas Ahmed

Sanda Lizard

Introduction In the vast, arid landscapes of South Asia and parts of the Middle East, where the sun blazes over sandy plains and the terrain is unforgiving, a curious and resilient creature scurries between crevices and underbrush. This is the Sanda lizard, a reptile both enigmatic and culturally significant. Known scientifically as Saara hardwickii, and commonly referred to as the Hardwicke’s spiny-tailed lizard, it is affectionately called “Sanda” in Urdu and Hindi.