Same Lizard Different Font?: Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard

In pop culture, we often hear about people looking for and finding their niches. An area where they have unique talents and skills. Where they can stand out from the crowd and shine.

Some niches become oversaturated making it hard to stand out. Consider an actor who moves to Los Angeles to start their career.

For wildlife finding a niche can be the difference between existence and extinction. Many animals species including lizards are often competing with each other for resources (eg food, water, habitat/territory).

This 2023 study examined how 4 lizards, Clark’s spiny lizard, the striped plateau lizard, Slevin’s bunch grass lizard, and our challenge species Yarrow’s spiny lizard, live closely together and despite filling similar niches. These species should be trying to out compete each other however they are able facilitate niche partitioning (share resources so each species thrive).

Westeen et al found that species used slightly different microhabitats. For example, the striped plateau lizard and Slevin’s bunch grass lizards prefer to perch on the ground while Yarrow’s spiny lizard likes to perch on rocks and logs and Clark’s spiny lizard on trees. And through Yarrow’s spiny lizard and Clark’s spiny lizards did not differ significantly in the height they liked to perch, they were active at different parts of the day, reducing competition. Interestingly, the study also found that body characteristics like head size and width, limb size and length, and color hue differed between species which likely helps them specialize in their microhabitats. They’ve found their niches!

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