Predation has been hypothesized to be a strong selective force structuring communities of tropical lizards. Comparisons of perch height and size-based predation frequencies can provide a unique window into understanding how predation might shape habitat selection and morphological patterns in lizards, especially anoles. Here I use plasticine clay models, placed on the trunks of trees and suspen...

This study investigated body surface temperature (Tbs) in 22 lizards of 18 species. The difference between Tbs and ambient temperature (Ta) was correlated with size. The greater Tbs 2 Ta differentials, which were recorded in larger lizards, may occur as a result of heat transfer from the core to surface in prevention of overheating. The structure of the integument may contribute to heat dissipa...

-1. Protein-specific activities of metabolically important enzymes were measured in liver and skeletal muscle homogenates from three species of lizards, Sauromalus hispidus and Dipsosaurus dorsalis (Iguanidae) and Varanus gouldii (Varanidae), and laboratory rats. 2. Phosphofructokinase activity was relatively high in the muscle tissue of the iguanid lizards, which rely heavily on anaerobic meta...

Environmental contaminants from anthropogenic activity such as mining can have profound health effects on the animals living in adjacent areas. We investigated whether inorganic contaminants associated with gold-mining waste discharges were accumulated by a threatened species of lizard, Smaug giganteus, in South Africa. Lizards were sampled from two mining sites and two control sites. Blood sam...

In Fig. 1B, the heading was given incorrectly as 'Lizards <3g'. It should have read 'Lizards >3g', as stated in the figure caption. We apologise to the authors and readers for this error.

We examined how autotomy–induced shifts in behavior of a diurnal lizard (Lampropholis guichenoti) and two natural snake predators influence the outcome of predatory interactions. During staged encounters in seminatural enclosures, we estimated the consumption order of lizards with recently autotomised tails (‘‘tailless’’) and intact tails (‘‘tailed’’). Tail loss increased a lizard’s chances of ...

Lizards and small rodents were live captured in Tuscany, central Italy, from May through August 2005. Prevalence of infestation by larval Ixodes ricinus L. (Acari: Ixodidae) and mean numbers of larvae per host were not significantly different for common wall lizards, Podarcis muralis Laurenti, and Apodemus spp. mice, whereas infestation levels by nymphs were significantly greater on lizards. Bo...

Voluntary loss of an appendage, or autotomy, is a remarkable behavior that is widespread among many arthropods and lower vertebrates. Its immediate benefit, generally escape from a predator, is balanced by various costs, including impaired locomotor performance, reproductive success and long-term survival. Among vertebrates, autotomy is most widespread in lizards, in which tail loss has been do...

We examined the impact of environmental characteristics, such as habitat type, topographic exposure and presence of leaf litter, on the abundance of Ixodes pacificus ticks infesting the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) at the University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC), Mendocino County, California. A total of 383 adult lizards were slip-noosed and examin...

BACKGROUND Many animals produce elaborated sexual signals to attract mates, among them are common chemical sexual signals (pheromones) with an attracting function. Lizards produce chemical secretions for scent marking that may have a role in sexual selection. In the laboratory, female rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) prefer the scent of males with more ergosterol in their femoral secretions. ...