DID YOU KNOW?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium which lives in the belly of ticks, such as the western black-legged tick here in California.  When a juvenile tick (about 1/20th of an inch in size) ingests the blood a Western Fence Lizard a protein in the lizards’ blood actually kill the bacteria!  This seems to leave the tick unable to transmit Lyme Disease! 

WAY TO GO MOTHER NATURE!!

Read the Berkeley news article from 1998 here: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1998/0429/lizard.html

Blue belly lizards hibernate over winter and reestablish their home territory in the same areas the following spring. Mating begins in early may with eggs hatching by july. They defend their space (a ¼ acre territory) through posturing (push ups) and through chemical cues and markings.

This baby blue belly is maybe 4 cm long -excluding the tail. It probably hatched a few days prior to these photos in mid july 2008. *note the shoe is a child’s size 9 lost in the landscape for a season!!

Can you find the baby lizard? While not the most focused of photos it does clearly illustrates how well camouflaged lizards are for protection from predators. The leaves next to the baby are from a common garden sage plant.

This sunny location is perfect to blend in (for both protection and predation) while warming the blood; lizards are reptiles and therefore cold blooded requiring warmth from external sources for energy and survival.