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LIZARDRY 1

03.2024

www.lizardwatch.org.uk

Lizard Watch will be recording the behaviour of a small group of wall lizards Podarcis muralis nigriventris who hunt, mate and bask in a part of my South Devon garden. They are easily observed and photographed at ground level around the strawberry patch, or from the house balcony overhead.

They have been observed for five summers, often for periods of two hours, building a library of 19,000 photographs, documenting their behaviour.

Lizard Watch 2024 will record behaviour of the 2024 cohort supplemented by relevant data from previous years.

It will also be open to similar contributions on lizard behaviour from other herpetologists: email below.

In the five years I have identified 26 lizards as individuals. Each one has their own personal face markings ,and have been given names from the Arthurian legends, rather than the soulless academic notations of M1, M2, M3, F1, F2, F3, etc.

ANNA

NINEVE

GWENDOLYN

OLWEN

RAGNALL

GLADYS

CAELIA

HECTOR

Each year there has been a group of 8-10, usually 2 males and 4-8 females. A male might be seen for a full season and part of the next before being usurped. Arthur, Mordred and Galahad 2019,Pendragon Lancelot and Tristan 2020, Agravain Gareth and Bedivere 2021,Hector 2022,Hector and Gawain 2023.

The females are more settled…… Guinevere was here 2019,20,21 and 22, Gladys 2019,20,21,22, and 23, Angharad 2021,22, and 23. Others were Gwendolen 2019, 20, Gwynedd 20,21, Bronwen 20, 21, Glenys 2022, Enid 2022, Elaine 2022, Olwen 2022, Ragnall 2022,Nineve 2023, Clarine 2023, Anna 2023 and Madoc 2023.

ActIon fRom 2019

GRAvID GLADYs Gets comfoRt fRom the wARm metAL boLt In the pottInG tAbLe.

LAnceLot wRAps hImseLf RounD A GARDen hose Left out In the sun whIch becAme fuLL of wARm wAteR

ActIon fRom 2020

penDRAGon mAtes wIth bRonwen

GLADYs’ tonGue senses AGRAvAIn

ActIon fRom 2021

AGRAvAIn…. thIRD tAIL

mAY 7 pRevIousLY pReDAteD… tAIL ReGRown fRom whIte RInG

June 15 Lost new tAIL … seconD pReDAtIon

July 29 tAIL ReGRown foR seconD tIme In sIx months.

ActIon fRom 2022

GuIneveRe sLouGhs

GLADYs AnD AnGhARAD

ActIon fRom 2023

hectoR InvItes GLADYs to mAte

hectoR checks the bALconY GRAss

I am aware that there is much that has not been seen. On a good day I might see Gladys for 20 minutes in the morning ,and ten in the afternoon, half an hour out of her day of , say, nine hours of suitable light and heat,a mere 6 percent of her day. On many occasions I see less than that, and 90% of the time, nothing at all!

In 2022 I watched on 167 occasions and saw Gladys on 84 of them. On 18 occasions I saw no lizards. But these pictures give a fair account of their behaviour.

Their collective name is a LOUNGE of Lizards. Five years of watching their lively behaviour suggests a HANDFUL of Lizards would make more sense.

 

 

If viewing herpetologists have picture items like these, please offer them to wergan48@btinternet.com for possible inclusion in future blogs.

Around March 26 check out www.lizardwatch.org.uk for a study of “Lizards and their prey”..

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