FUN WAYS TO CATCH A LIZARD

One of my favorite ways to bond with my big brother was to stand on the deck of our house, lean over the railing, and try to hit the fence lizards basking below us with spit.  It is a lot more satisfying that trying to catch one with your bare hands.  The only lizards I have caught bare handed, where the ones to cold to run away.  So, how do biologists catch lizards?  Rubber bands, fishing, and booby traps.  If you have good aim, you can shoot fence lizards with a large rubber band.  This can kill them though so think twice before engaging in a lizard rubber band fight.  A less lethal method is to “fish” for them.  You place a noose on the end of a fishing pole and literally fish for lizards.  The last method I know uses booby traps.  Really this is a fence or other blockade that the lizard can’t pass.  The lizard moves along the fence until it falls into your booby trap (a buried, open bucket).  Then you get to reach in and grab it.  Watch out though!  Open buckets are not selective for lizards and can also capture snakes, small rodents, scorpions, and other things that can bite.  Since I grew up having family rubber band fights… you can bet what method I prefer.  Oh, before you go out and try this at home you will need a scientific collectors permit from the state you plan to collect from.