Looking for Lizards

These past weeks in The Glenn we’ve been talking about lizards. We got to meet our gecko friends, Lenny the leopard gecko and Stevie the crested gecko.

The kids learned that lizards are reptiles, have scales, and that our gecko friends can lick their own eyeballs! We also talked about some species’ defense mechanism of autonomy, or being able to lose their tail and sometimes regrow it. Oh, and of course we talked about that tail still moving even after it was detached from their body (a perfect Halloween topic =).

It really is an amazing adaptation. For some species, it is also a place to store much needed fat if they miss a meal. I like to focus on the fact that many lizard species can only lose and regrow their tail once, and it will not be the same even if it does regrow. It is such an important way to protect themselves if a predator is chasing them. We discussed that we should try not to chase lizards or catch them since they might think we are hunting them. We don’t want them dropping those tails on account of us!

After meeting some of our lizards we were also able to go on a lizard hunt (with our eyes of course). There are so many interesting native lizards here in San Diego and several live right here in our Glenn. I think many kids (well actually, a lot of us adults too!) forget that there is wildlife all around us. Many think they need to go to the zoo to see interesting species (also a good time =), but San Diego is home to some amazing wildlife.

Did you know that San Diego is a biodiversity hotspot? If you haven’t heard that term before, it basically means that San Diego has a great variety of species that are endemic or native, and that their home is under threat. Typically a hotspot has lost about 70% of its original habitat so it is in dire need of protection. I think that by pointing out the amazing species that surround us to our children we can help to create a sense of attachment to our local ecosystems. That sense of attachment will pave the way to an individual that respects our environment and will try to protect and preserve it for generations to come. With that, I’ll get off my soap box and encourage you to get out there with your kiddos and look for the many beautiful lizards in the area. Here are what a few of the students and I talked about and saw on our “hunt”…

Western or Tiger Whiptail

This is a beautiful and very fast lizard with a long tail. One of its main claims to fame is that some of the subspecies are able to reproduce asexually.

Western Fence Lizard

These lizards are very common and can vary in color. Look for the short nose and thicker body.

San Diego Alligator Lizard

These very long tailed lizards are also good climbers and can be found climbing trees or on the sides of houses. The above specimen was almost 16 inches long!