Skinks are reptiles widespread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, comprising multiple species that vary in size, color, habitat, and lifestyle, all sharing distinctive features including: a streamlined body covered with smooth, shiny scales, short limbs, and an exceptional ability to adapt to different environmental conditions.

The number of skink species in the Kingdom reaches 11, the most famous of which are: the fish sand skink and the spotted sand skink, which live in most sandy areas, in addition to the Asian snake-eyed skink, Tihama sand skink, and the golden skink.

These reptiles inhabit diverse environments including deserts, sand dunes, plains, valleys, oases, areas with sparse vegetation, as well as lowlands and areas with compact hard sand, as each species possesses characteristics suited to its habitat and lifestyle.

The species known as 'sand fish' are among the most prominent desert skinks, and they acquired this name for their ability to move within soft sand quickly and flexibly in various directions and depths, with a movement resembling fish swimming in water.

Some species are characterized by a strong cylindrical body covered with smooth scales that help them glide through sand, a head that is broad at the back and gradually narrows towards the front, a relatively long and pointed snout that enables them to penetrate sand easily, along with a short tail broad at the base, and four short limbs ending in five toes with claws suited to their movement in the sandy environment.

Body length in some species from the tip of the snout to the vent reaches about 14 cm, and the sizes, colors, and patterns of skinks vary by species, age, and environment. The desert species are predominantly sandy color tending to yellow or orange, and adults may have dark bands alternating with yellow bands on their backs, while juveniles of some species are uniformly sandy in color.

Sand skinks are characterized by a behavior known as 'sand swimming', as some species can dig and dive into sand to a depth of up to 40 cm, and the sand flows behind them to close the path they created, helping them hide from predators and avoid high temperatures.

Some species can sense vibrations made by their prey on the sand surface while hidden beneath it, and generally feed on insects, especially beetles and worms, in addition to arachnids and small organisms. Some species may consume plant matter, while others enter periods of hibernation among plant roots.

Skinks play a pivotal role in ecological balance by regulating insect populations and being a fundamental link in the food chain of the ecosystems they inhabit. Some species are distributed in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, including the Kingdom, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, and they have undergone conservation status assessments at both global and regional levels.