Fox Lab Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology / Herpetology

Lizards have many predators and as a consequence have many adaptations to escape predation. One common and simple one is running from the predator's approach and taking refuge under a rock or other habitat structure. An easy way to measure differences in this escape strategy is for a person to simulate a predator and make a standard approach toward the subject lizard, recording how close the person gets before the lizard takes flight (escape distance) and how far it runs before stopping (flight distance). We are measuring these two variables in seven species of lizards of central Chile along an altitudinal gradient. The seven species vary with respect to body size and longevity, among many other respects. We postulate that longer-lived lizards are less likely to take predation risks than shorter-lived lizards since longer-lived ones have many more opportunities for reproduction. Short-lived lizards accept greater predation risks because they cannot afford to give up time for other activities. My lab and I found something similar in Uta stansburiana following tail autotomy (Fox and McCoy 2000). We are using toe tips from the largest individuals of each species in museum collections to determine maximum age via skeletochronology, which we will relate to escape variables.