And The Great Los Angeles Backyard Lizard Count Has Begun!

A couple weeks ago I read an article in an issue of the LA Times that was thankfully without any ads for gas-powered leafblowers, and it detailed the L.A. County Museum of Natural History’s plans to enlist residents of the city to undertake a “backyard lizard census.”

With a “Woo!” of surprise from Susan in the kitchen this morning followed by a “Bay-beeeeee!??” our lizard count has begun with this upclose portrait of No. 1, a fine and seemingly intact (save for its missing tail) specimen of alligator lizard that I presume one of our cats brought inside at an undetermined previous time, and that I managed to corral and remove and release back to the outdoors (click for the bigger picture):

You must excuse the hirsute nature of the reptile as I presume since it was in the kitchen at time of discovery and capture it was residing in any of the several floor-level dustbunny factories fed by our four cats, two dogs… and to some degree, us hairy humans.

There was no information that I found either in the feature story or on the museum’s website directing interested persons on how to sign up, so until then I’ll just tally ho.

UPDATE: I emailed the museum’s herpetology contact and was informed that those involved are still determining the best data-collection scheme and that plans are to have a reptile survey on its site in late May.