Lassoing Lizard, It’s All in the Scales

Lassoing, formally known as “noosing,” is a technique herpetologists have used for decades. It involves a stick with an attached string and at the end of the string there’s a slip knot. My lasso is made from a telescopic fishing pole and fishing line, though my favorite kind of line is braided surgical silk.

Lassoing is a great method for capturing lizards because it reduces the harm to the lizard and you can catch them at a distance. It can be difficult using this method as the lizard gets further away, the line can become difficult to see, the wind could blow your line away, or it can get stuck in the bushes.

By Connor Long - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48631858

Then you get into the issues of scales. The easiest lizards to catch with a lasso have keeled scales. These scales have a ridge down the middle that can protrude and create a hook for the lasso line to grab on to. Other lizards like the, western whip tail, you’re searching for below, have smooth scales. I’ve had these lizards run right through the lasso because there was nothing for it to catch on.

This week's challenge was submitted by Asia Murphy, @am_anatiala

There is also a spectrum to how much the scale is keeled depending on the species. In between keeled and smooth scales are granular scales which are more bumpy. We see granular scales in lizards like iguanas or Gila monsters.

Scales can have various purposes helping in physical defense from predators or injury as they run along bark or thorny foliage. Additionally, they can help create texture to aid in camouflage.

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