From Field and Study: Sand shimmying as predator avoidance behaviour in two agamid lizards, Ctenophorus reticulatus and Ctenophorus femoralis

2009·0.39 MB·English

by  Christopher J Bell

FROM FIELD AND STUDY
Sand shimmying as predator important predator avoidance
avoidance behaviour in two mechanism for Ctenophorus
agamid lizards, Ctenophorus species (Mitchell 1973; Stuart-Fox
reticulatus and Ctenophorus et al 2004), but anti-predator
femoralis — On 27 May 2005 we behaviours within the group are
initiated a brief herpetological not well documented. Although
survey of Pimbee Station activity patterns, predatory, feed¬
(southern portion of the Shire of ing, thermoregulatory, territorial,
Carnarvon, just west of the and reproductive behaviours of
boundary with the Shire of C. maculosus were discussed at
Upper Gascoyne), Western Aus¬ length by Mitchell (1973), and
tralia. As we approached the Ctenophorus nuchalis was noted to
station from the west along the use tail lashing and biting
Edagee Road we encountered an (Greene 1988), we are not aware
individual male Ctenophorus of any previously published
reticulatus (snout-vent length of reports of the shimmying be¬
80 mm, mass 21.0 g). It was haviour for predator avoidance
basking in open sun at 12:40 on in Ctenophorus.
the sandy middle portion of the
road. The lizard was standing
erect when first seen, but as we REFERENCES
approached it dropped into a low
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- CHRISTOPHER J. BELL, Austin
Texas, USA; JIM 1. MEAD, Johnson
City, Tennessee, USA; and MARCI
HOLLENSHEAD, Flagstaff,
Arizona, USA
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