Away from the coast the searing heat and absence of surface water means that animals need to have special adaptations and behaviours to survive. Kuwait has only one species of amphibian, the variable toad (Bufotes variabilis), and has about 38 species of reptile. These include the Arabian sand boa, the black desert cobra, the monitor lizard and a number of different spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx spp.).