Michael Carlo

Michael Carlo

May 05, 2016

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Pop quiz!

Is the animal in the picture below a snake or a lizard?

Think you know? Can you explain your answer? Want to know how to tell the difference? Scroll down past the image for the answer, as well as photos of some other reptiles we've found at the field site so far this summer.

(photo by Michael Carlo)

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Did you answer lizard? If so, you were correct! Specifically, it is a male five-lined skink (Plestidion fasciatus). There are two ways you could tell from the photo above: (1) there are external ear openings, which snakes don't have, and (2) if you look closely you can see that the skink has eyelids, which snakes also don't have. If you look closely at the pictures of fence lizards posted for this project, you'll notice those features on them too. For instance, you can see an external ear opening and eyelids on the female Eastern fence lizard in the photo below.

(photo by Michael Carlo)

There are, of course, many other general differences between snakes and lizards. Those are just two that are apparent in the photos above. If you want to know more, ask in the comments (or add your own knowledge to the conversation!).

Now, here is your reward for taking the quiz: more pictures of reptiles!

(photo by Michael Carlo; a juvenile five-line skink)

(photo by Michael Carlo; another male five-line skink)

(photo by Michael Carlo ; a male green anole, Anolis carolinensis )

(photo by Michael Carlo ; a smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis )

(photo by Michael Carlo; a juvenile worm snake, Carphophis amoenus, turned over to show its bright belly scales)

(photo by Martin Duncan; a black rat snake, Pantherophis obsoletus)

(photo by Michael Carlo; a male African spurred tortoise, Centrochelys sulcata, **just kidding, we saw this about half an hour from our field site at a rescue center)

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About This Project

The decision of where to nest is perhaps the greatest one a lizard can make for her offspring. Many lizards dig nests in open, sunny spots because warm temperatures help lizard embryos grow and survive. However, climate warming is raising temperatures at those nest sites to the point they may soon become harmful and even lethal to lizard embryos. This project investigates whether lizards can choose shadier, cooler places to nest, which could buffer offspring from effects of climate change.

Blast off!

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