On a Naturalists’ outing to the Mel Deanna Trail in mid-May we spotted this pair of Northern Alligator Lizards in a bite hold, motionless on a sun-warmed rock beside the trail. The male holds his mate, guarding her from other males for as long as two or three days. I uploaded a photo to iNaturalist. The app is great at identifying species of plants and animals, but also connects researchers around the world. Thirty minutes later, I received a message through the app from Greg Pauly, the Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He’s been studying Alligator Lizard mating behavior for more than eight years. He said he was excited to see the post - he sees only one incident of Northern Alligator Lizard mating behaviour posted for every 10 or so of the ‘very urban’ Southern Alligator Lizards. If you have current or historical photos or video of Alligator Lizards in the bite hold, mating or wrestling, Greg would love to see them. Upload your images to iNaturalist, or send them to him directly at [email protected]. For more on his work, check out the project web page and video linked here: https://nhm.org/stories/look-out-amorous-alligator-lizards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtUFZMEt1Fw&fbclid= - Tarah Reesor, West Kootenay Naturalist
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West Kootenay Naturalists' AssociationTo know nature and keep it worth knowing. Archives
June 2023
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