CreatureData

Spiny-footed lizard

Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Schinz, 1833)

Status not recordedlizards

The spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) is a species in the family Lacertidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh 6.85 g to 8.7 g and reach 7.15 cm in length.

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Quick facts about the spiny-footed lizard

Weight
6.85 g – 8.7 gsrc for Weight
Length
6.86 cm – 7.15 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
2.1 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrubland, woodlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
70 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1 – 8src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
10 months – 18 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1 – 2src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the spiny-footed lizard?

SPINY-FOOTED LIZARD · LENGTH 7.15 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 7.15 cm, the recorded maximum length of the spiny-footed lizard is about 4.2% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

What eats the spiny-footed lizard?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the spiny-footed lizard

5 on record

  1. Horseshoe snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis2 sources
  2. False smooth snake Macroprotodon cucullatus2 sources
  3. Lizard snake Malpolon monspessulanus2 sources
  4. Lataste's viper Vipera latastei2 sources
  5. Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • Corti C., Capula M., Luiselli L., Razzetti E., Sindaco R. 2011. Reptilia. Fauna d'Italia Vol. XLV. Calderini Editore, Bologna.
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148117801
  • Kreiner G., 2007. The snakes of Europe. Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.
  • Intraspecific variation in the colubrid snake genus Macroprotodon. 1988. Herpetological Journal 1(6): 237-245
  • Salvador A. (Ed.). 1998. Fauna Iberica Vol. 10. Reptiles. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales & Consejo Superior de Investicaciones Cientificas, Madrid.
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47549453
  • Variation in the diet of the Lataste's viper Vipera latastei in the Iberian Peninsula: seasonal, sexual and size-related effects. 2007. Animal Biology 57(1): 49-61
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64873467
  • Orta, J., Boesman, P. & Marks, J.S. (2019). Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.).�Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from�https://www.hbw.com/node/53213�on 5 July 2019).

Where does the spiny-footed lizard live?

Not recorded

Is the spiny-footed lizard endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the spiny-footed lizard classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyLacertidae
  6. genusAcanthodactylus
  7. SpeciesAcanthodactylus erythrurus (Schinz, 1833)

Synonyms Acanthodactylus bellii, Acanthodactylus erythrurus ksourensis, Acanthodactylus erythrurus mauritanicus, Acanthodactylus erythrurus tingitanus, Acanthodactylus lineo-maculatus, Acanthodactylus vulgaris, Acanthodactylus vulgaris var. atlantica, Lacerta erythrura

Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • Fringe-fingered lizardEnglish
  • sargantana cua-rojaCatalan
  • paještěrka červenaváCzech
  • Almindeligt FrynsefingerfirbenDanish
  • Europäischer FransenfingerGerman
  • Lagartija ColirrojaSpanish
  • Sugandila buztangorriaBasque
  • RipsusisiliskoFinnish
  • Acanthodactyle d'EuropeFrench
  • mediterrán rojtosujjúgyíkHungarian
  • Acantodattilo codarossaItalian
  • セアカヘリユビカナヘビJapanese
  • Moorse FranjeteenhagedisDutch
  • FranjeteenhagedisDutch
  • Sardanisca-de-dedos-denteadosPortuguese
  • AcantodáctiloPortuguese
  • Lagartixa-da-areiaPortuguese
  • Lagartixa-de-dedos-denteadosPortuguese
  • Европейская гребнепалая ящерицаRussian
  • Roodstaartfransjenhagedisroot

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISWikidata

Relatives of the spiny-footed lizard

Other species in the same genus Acanthodactylus.

CompareSpiny-footed lizard vs Bosc's fringe-toed lizardSpiny-footed lizard vs Beer Sheva fringe-fingered lizardSpiny-footed lizard vs Arnold's fringe-fingered lizardSpiny-footed lizard vs Schmidt's fringe-toed lizard

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the spiny-footed lizard?

An adult spiny-footed lizard weighs 6.85 g – 8.7 g and measures 6.86 cm – 7.15 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the spiny-footed lizard?

The spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) belongs to the family Lacertidae in the order Squamata.

What eats the spiny-footed lizard?

Animals recorded preying on the spiny-footed lizard include horseshoe snake, false smooth snake, lizard snake and lataste's viper. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spiny-footed-lizard

MLA

“Spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/spiny-footed-lizard.

BibTeX
@misc{spiny_footed_lizard_2026,
  title = {Spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/spiny-footed-lizard},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}