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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2016)
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson The many faces of the alligator lizard That alligator lizard in the picture was serious about liv- ing up to its name. It and my son Caleb’s finger met while we were exploring the Lava Beds National Monument back in the 1980s. They had come upon each other while my wife, Sue, and the rest of our kids were pursuing and tagging monarch butterflies on the northern part of the monu- ment. It did eventually spit out Caleb’s finger, but little did we know how aggressive that beautiful, ambitious liz- ard could be. The alligator lizard clan was first classified in the 1830s by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann, a German zoologist and herpetologist (a person who studies lizards, snakes, and amphibians). In 1835, he founded, together with other scholars, the zoo- logical periodical known as Wiegmann’s Archive. Wiegmann specialized in classifying Mexican fish and herps, and in 1834 he published Herpetologia Mexicana, a monograph on the reptiles of Mexico. One of his discoveries from his Mexican travels, Weigman’s Alligator Lizard, Gerrhonotus liocephalus is still on the books the way he described it. But all the other alligator lizards found in the western U.S. have been renamed and reclassified for their coloring, habitat, geographic locations, and other traits. According to Al St. John’s Lone Pine field guide, Reptiles of The Northwest, he’s listed the Oregon alli- gator lizard, the California alligator lizard and a bunch . . . g n i h t r e h o her d Let Grab a tasty sandwich, e river & get on th fishin’ rod, it all! m o r f y a w a Get RE ST .. O AN M R E H S P ti CAM Go back 100 years in me . 541-595-6711 Pinot Noir & More Northwest Wines, Friends & Exceptional Cuisine on the Metolius River D .. , Call 541-595-6420 for Reservations | www.kokaneecafe.com Helping you fi nd the best coverage ...without the headache! Serving Sisters for over 20 years INSURANCE OF SISTERS CALL FOR A QUOTE TODAY AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS 541-549-3172 • 800-752-8540 • 704 W. Hood Ave. A member of Fullhart Insurance Agency, Inc. of others running around in California as separate species, such as the San Francisco, Sierra, Northwestern, Shasta, and five or six species of alli- gator lizards in Canada. While naming them is difficult, the diet of the alli- gator lizard is simple: what- ever will fit into its mouth. That can be other, smaller lizards and snakes which are devoured as soon as they’re spotted. A nice fat and juicy scarab beetle will vanish down the lizard’s gullet in the blink of an eye. If the alligator lizard’s an occupant of your kitchen gar- den you will never need to apply any pesticides; cabbage looper caterpillars will be gobbled up; along with flea beetles; corn borer caterpil- lars; squash bugs; cutworm larvae; and other plant pests. Alligator lizards are almost fearless when it comes to prey; mice and even a juvenile gopher will be grabbed and swallowed. But then there’s that old Safer, Better Sports Performance Agility Training Camp with Coach Fendall July 11-15 at SHS — Grades 5-12 — www.bit.ly/fma2016 fmaspeed@gmail.com 19 photo by Jim anderson An alligator lizard trying to live up to it’s name. adage, “He who lives by the sword…” Alligator lizards are often caught and eaten by the American kestrel, who also feeds it/them to the babies. Gopher snakes, whip snakes and the like will not hesitate to take an alligator lizard for a snack. The most surprising loca- tion I found alligator lizards was on the coast, around OMSI’s Camp Arago near North Bend, where I sup- pose some hair-splitter has named them the Coastal or Cape Arago alligator liz- ard. They love hunting for prey behind the dunes where OMSI students watched them devouring beetles and other inhabitants of the sandy soils. We watched one who was agile enough to hang onto See lIZARd on page 28 Stubborn Fat? • Body contouring reduces fat • No unsightly bumps/bulges (Like Cool Sculpting ® & other technologies) • Tightens skin • Breaks up cellulite • Pa Painless Pain i le l ss s Before and after one treatment 25% Off Treatment Series — FREE Consultations — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon-Fri. or by appt. 541-588-6503 • 354 W. Adams Ave. Jessica Slaughter, Advanced Practice Nurse, & Staff
