What Do Lizards Eat: Sceloporus Jarrovii

If you go back to the January 10th challenge post, you’ll read all about how Sceloporus jarrovii, Yarrow’s spiny lizard was the first lizard I ever got to study as an undergraduate student. When I pursued my graduate studies, I went back to the Chiricahua mountains to continue studying this lizard. I was curious to if lizards were eating emerging aquatic insects (insects that live part of their lives in fresh water) from stream systems with the idea that stream drying due to climate change would destroy the habitat of these aquatic insects which would prevent the lizards from eating them.

I spent 3 summers for 4-6 weeks at a time lassoing these lizards. I took measurements like their weight, age, sex, and other body measurements. I think the coolest thing about this experience is that I was able to do natural history research. As a kid, I would ask natural history questions like how animals survive in various climates, what they ate, how they had babies. I didn’t know that this was ecology/natural history at the time but it set the foundation for my future.

I share this small bit of my story in hopes that it will inspire others. I didn’t know this was an option for me until I got to college. Hopefully through this blog post and my efforts with #FindThatLizard in general, you all can share this knowledge with any future ecologists you know so it may not take them as long to be able pursue this interest as a career if that’s what they want to do.

So let them know! And I hope you #FindThatLizard together.

Let me know if you’ve #FoundThatLizard below in the comments!