The ornate spiny-tailed lizard is mostly herbivorous, feeding on the leaves, seeds and flowers of many desert shrubs, including Ochradenus baccatus (2) (3). However, it is an opportunistic species and will also occasionally feed on invertebrates (3).
This species is active during the day (2) (3) (6), with its most active time being around midday during the hottest months of the year (2). The ornate spiny-tailed lizard often basks in the hot sun (7).
The ornate spiny-tailed lizard typically lives in small groups consisting of one male and multiple females. The dominant male will attack and chase other males from the group’s home range, but does not maintain a strict territory (2).
Male ornate spiny-tailed lizards have been seen to turn a female onto her back and walk in a circular motion over her abdomen. There is no known reason for this strange behaviour, but it may be related to the bond between the dominant male and the females in its group (2). In June, the female ornate spiny-tailed lizard digs a hole in the desert floor in which to lay the eggs. Around 7 to 17 eggs are usually laid, and take up to 2 months to hatch. Once hatched, it takes only four days for the juveniles to leave the nest and begin to fend for themselves (2).
Ornate spiny-tailed lizards reach sexual maturity and begin to reproduce from about 2 to 4 years old, and can live for up to 20 years (2) (6).