Is it possible to find a fish among the sands of the desert? Of course not, but with its unique shape, and the way it moves between the sand dunes, it is not surprising to call this reptile the “sand fish”.
For these creatures, the vast expanses of sand are their ocean, and instead of diving into the depths of the water, these lizards swim in the sand at lightning speed.
The Omani photographer, Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Hadrami, seeks to document the wild life, specifically this creature among the sands of the Wilayat of Bidiyah in the North Sharqiyah Governorate, Sultanate of Oman.
In an interview with “CNN” in Arabic, Al-Hadhrami said that he was keen to highlight “the beauty of the lizard, and all its details,” reports a local Arabic daily.
These lizards are distinguished by their soft skin, and the speed of their movement outside and inside the sand, according to what the photographer mentioned.
Al-Omani, who began filming in 2012, described the creature’s movement, saying: “When the lizard senses danger, it quickly buries itself within seconds.”
The Arabian Peninsula hosts isolated groups of sand fish in northeastern Yemen, southern Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, and they are found in arid sand dune environments, according to the official website of the Dubai Desert Reserve.
The creature has smooth, shiny scales and a wedge-shaped head that enables it to swim across the fine sand in its favorite sand dune environment, according to the reserve.
Some still seek these lizards as a delicacy, the head and tail of the sandfish is cut off, before the body is cooked on charcoal. The Omani photographer explained that locally, this lizard is called different names, such as Al-Halka or Al-Sanqur.