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.

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Will

Will Campbell arrived in town via the maternity ward at Good Sam Hospital way back in OneNineSixFour and has never stopped calling Los Angeles home. Presently he lives in Silver Lake with his wife Susan, their cat Rocky, dogs Terra and Hazel, and a red-eared slider turtle named Mater. Blogging since 2001, Will's web endeavors extend back to 1995 with laonstage.com, a comprehensive theater site that was well received but ever-short on capital (or a business model). The pinnacle of his online success (which speaks volumes) arrived in 1997, when much to his surprise, a hobby site he'd built called VisuaL.A. was named "best website" in Los Angeles magazine's annual "Best of L.A." issue. He enjoys experiencing (and writing about) pretty much anything creative, explorational and/or adventurous, loves his ebike, is a better tennis player than he is horr golfer, and a lover of all creatures great and small -- emphasis on "all."