Category: Research Methods Page 5 of 9

Having recently lost my trusty pair of binoculars, I’m searching for a replacement before heading to the field this summer. My original binoculars were bought for the express purpose of watching monkeys, but now that I’m spending my days observing anole behavior it’s time to reconsider what makes for a good pair of binocs. So far, I’ve received one important piece of advice: make sure that the close focal distance is as small as possible (definitely less than 10 feet, and less than 6 feet is even better) so that you can zoom in on nearby lizards. And, of course, they need to be waterproof/fogproof against the tropical environs! Specific recommendations so far have included the Eagle Optics Ranger and the Nikon Monarch.

So, what is your favorite pair of binoculars? Any tips or advice on what makes a good pair of herping binoculars?

Flossless in Saint Louis. What has become of Reach (non-mint) waxed floss?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the inability to get top-of-the-line noosing poles, but another lizard catching crisis hasn’t yet received attention. Right-thinking anolologists agree that dental floss is the preferred lasso-making material, but not all floss is the same. As discussed in a previous post, there are definite differences in quality, at least with regard to lizard-catching potential.

In particular, Johnson & Johnson’s Reach © brand waxed floss is the premium lariat string, yet in my experience, it has become harder and harder to find as many stores (e.g., CVS, Walgreens) are stocking inferior store brands and, for some reason, mint-flavored products.

This situation hit its nadir just this weekend, when I was unable to find Reach waxed floss in numerous St. Louis apothecaries and groceries, nor in an outlet in DC. Where the heck is it? Are other herpetologists hoarding it in fear of another Cabela’s-style debacle? I don’t know, but I’ve been forced to pack Walgreens brand stock on my upcoming expedition. I guess it’s only fair to give the little guy’s a chance, but you can bet I’ll be cursing Wallie’s finest every time a lizard flips out of my noose.

The Anole Annals community was rocked recently by news that Cabela’s 10-foot, collapsible panfish poles–ideal for anole catching–are no longer available. Panic and pandemonium have ensued, but fear not: all may not be lost. In response to a comment I lodged on their website, I received this response: “We do still carry item number 115800.  You are welcome to go to our web site cabelas.com and search the item number to see if that is what you are looking for.  If not please call our customer service number of 1-800-237-8888 and ask to speak to a products associate who may be able to locate the one we used to carry and help with the manufacturer’s name and number” (I had asked for info to contact the manufacter directly). Melissa Woolley did so and was told that they are listed as backordered and should be available in late April. So, maybe there is still hope. I would like to urge all concerned anolians to go to Cabela’s Customer Service webpage and say something to encourage Cabela’s to restock the panfish pole pronto! https://cabelas.custhelp.com/app/ask

Today marks a sad day in the history of anole biology: the anole hunter’s best friend has just gone out of production.  Before explaining what I mean, I need to provide some additional details for the uninitiated.  Most anoles are caught primarily with a lasso made of dental floss attached to the end of a pole.  We’ve debated the best material for making lassos but haven’t spent much time on the poles (except here).  Although just about anything ranging from a stick to a golf club can be used as a lizard catching pole, the best lizard poles are generally fashioned from fishing rods.  Fishing rods are ideal for lizard catching because they are both light and long.  For many years, the biggest challenge associated with the use of fishing poles was that they can be relatively difficult to transport.  Rods that could telescope out to 12-20′ generally had only three or four segments, meaning that even a fully collapsed rod was 4-5′ long (too long to be easy to travel with or carry around in the field).  This problem was solved a number of years ago when Cabela’s began producing a new line of telescoping panfish rods that could extend from just over a foot to 10-14′ (they’re no longer listed in the Cabela’s catalogue but you can still find prices and product information at some on-line retailers like Yahoo).  If you check out the reviews, you’ll see that people have used these poles for everything from fishing to herping to displaying “worship banners.”  These inexpensive Cabela’s rods have been my primary anole catching tool for over a decade.  I was deeply saddened when I learned today that Cabela’s will no longer be filling orders for their telescopic panfish rods.  We actually placed this order weeks ago and have been told they were on back-order until today, when we were told simply that our order could not be filled and was being cancelled.  I guess we’re going to have to go through and repair all those broken rods we accumulated over the past decade…

Anole Annals posts are constantly pushing the technological limits of herpetological research, from exciting new uses for vacuum cleaners to new caging systems (here and here) to novel methods of visualizing the anole skeleton (here and here). Thanks to Kim Orrell (Shenandoah University) I learned of a new technique of shipping small anoles that may hold promise for the future.

A common challenge I often face is finding best way to ship small anoles, often hatchlings or juveniles, to collaborating labs. While hatchlings are often hardier than they look, they do require some extra protection from getting bumped around so I don’t like using bags. Most Tupperware containers are simply too big and can, at times, be difficult to get the small lizards in and out of. The  package I received today used an ingenious method of packing small lizards in recycled plastic water bottles. Each bottle was loosely packed with paper towels with one or two lizards added. The bottles have a relatively small foot print and little space between bottles when packed tight. Each bottle cap had two small holes drilled for air exchange. Removing the lizards was surprisingly easy. I simply pulled each paper towel out using forceps and gently tapped each bottle until the lizard slid out the hole, usually in two to three taps. While working with these bottles today I could not help but to also think that I was on the verge of the next great Sobe ad!

Anole karyotypes from Gorman and Atkins, Herpetologica, 1968.

George Gorman, who pioneered the use of molecular tools to study anole phylogenetics from the late 1960’s to the early 1980’s, asks:

“Why not examine karyotypes of Dactyloa?”

He says:

“In the 1960’s and ‘70’s, before the DNA revolution,  the systematic examination of karyotypes of reptilian taxa mushroomed, and, to some extent helped orient our thinking about relationships among various clades.  This was certainly the case within Anolis at various hierarchical levels,  from species determination to definition of distinct species groups.  To my knowledge, there has been very little added to our knowledge about karyotypes of mainland Anolis that Etheridge placed in the latifrons series of Alpha Anolis,  now frequently referred to as the Dactyloa clade.  (if these are long-lost terms, Etheridge’s Beta anoles are the Norops section; all other lineages are within his “Alpha” section).

Background

There is a very pervasive, either primitive or convergently arrived at, karyotype among the Sauria…consisting of 12 metacentric macrochromosomes, and 24 microchromosomes. This karyotype may be found in many families and in all species of many genera within families. This was also the known published karyotype of A. carolinensis….the only anole that had been examined until about 1965.

Here’s a brief summary of what followed:

Read More