Effects of Oil Pollution on Body Size and Weight of the Sand Lizard Acanthodactylus scutellatus at the Greater Al-Burgan Oil Field in Kuwait

Thermal conditions determine lizards’ response to oil contamination in a desert habitat

“…When comparing the results of this study to other experiments investigating the effects of oil pollution on lizards’ behavior, we can see both similarities and dissimilarities. For example, a study conducted in an oil-polluted desert habitat in Kuwait, Al-Hashem & Brain (2009) 16 found larger body-sized males in oil-polluted (tar and soot) habitats rather than control, clean sites. The authors suggested that the reason for this observation is related to greater availability of food, or that the food itself includes larger amounts of fat, increasing lizards’ body size.…”

“…Male lizards in a contaminated habitat had larger body size, most likely due to earlier morning emergence, extended basking periods, and more efficient foraging behavior, perhaps as a consequence of polluted soil characteristics, such as rapid heating. 15 , 16 However, prolonged exposure to oil pollution also led to increased accumulation of contaminants and was shown to cause severe liver damage to lizards and other organisms. 17 This example shows that terrestrial oil pollution leads to both positive and negative consequences for lizards: on the one hand, oil pollution may increase ground temperatures, altering the environmental conditions and providing an additional source of heat for reptiles.…”

Gill Histopathological Effects of PAHs on Adult Pearl Oyster, <i>Pinctada radiata</i> at Al-Khiran Coast in Kuwait

“…Phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and benzo[a]anthracene were found in ant and lizard (Acanthodactylus scutellatus) samples collected from the Greater Al-Burgan oil field at Kuwait [2]. PAHs resulted from oil pollution affected morphological measurements in A. scutellatus lizards, in which, adult male but not female lizards were generally bigger at the polluted sites compared to control sites [6]. PAHs present in tissues of lizards at oil polluted sites have field behavior and morphology of the sand lizard A. scutellatus [7] [8].…”