[2] These fringes aid with traction and speed, and help the lizard avoid sinking into loose, sandy dunes.

[3] Fringe-toed lizards also possess upper jaws which overlap the lower ones, preventing the intrusion of sand particles, and nostrils that can be closed at will.

[2] Lizards of the genus Uma are found in low desert areas having fine, loose sand.

Fringe-toed lizards primarily eat insects, including ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars.

"Uma rufopunctata", the previous name for the Yuman Desert fringe-toed lizard, was found in 2016 to represent a hybrid between U. notata and U.