Gerrut Norval
@GerrutN
A research assistant and casual academic @Flinders University, studying the parasite community of sleepy lizards inhabiting an ecological gradient.
Not all spiny lizards in our study site are central bearded dragons - an eastern bearded dragon I caught last Thursday @MikeG_lizards @LEGS_Lab
A nesting galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) in the study site in the Mid North of South Australia
First of our lizard signs funded by Electranet has been installed! These will be at the entrances to the long term sleepy lizard site, started by C. Michael Bull, surveyed continuously since 1982. Very grateful that an energy company cared enough to make this happen. @GerrutN
A mother sleepy lizard and her babies "say goodbye" in their special way after being released back into the wild @MikeG_lizards @Flinders @ClaytonJessa
Coloration is not a reliable character for tick identification because it can be absent, but when it is present it is a great confirmation character - Amblyomma limbatum
The business-end of a sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) @MikeG_lizards @Flinders
Something one does not see every day 😉 @MikeG_lizards @lizard_lab @b_derne Family: Scincidae Species: Lerista punctatovittata Common name: Eastern robust slider
My flights and accomodation are booked, now I just need to get my talk for the 2022 ASP Annual Conference (4-7 July) ready
Something one does not see every day, the larva of the endangered platypus tick (Ixodes ornithorhynchi) @Flinders
Ticks are amazing - an engorged nymph, collected on 28 January 2021 and left in a sealed plastic vial, moulted and was still alive when the vial was checked on 20 April 2022 @MikeG_lizards @Flinders @AS_Para
A good example of why size and coloration are not reliable characters for tick identification - two males of Amblyomma limbatum @Flinders @MikeG_lizards
Kleptoparasitism, i.e. parasitism by theft, is a form of parasitism that is often overlooked. Argyrodes miniaceus on the web of Nephila pilipes in southwestern Taiwan.
There is no place like home ... @MikeG_lizards @ClaytonJessa @b_derne
The wolf spiders and pygmy bluetongues use the artificial burrows we provide as part of the translocation efforts, but only the spiders also create their own, which the lizards also use, so the spiders are essential for the conservation of this lizard @JessaClayton @MikeG_lizards
A good example of the importance of chance observations. Keep on Ticking: Entomologist Tells of Ticks' 27-Year Lifespan entomologytoday.org/2022/01/14/kee… via @EntsocAmerica
Our paper is published online - sciencedirect.com/science/articl… - the result of four years of catching and checking sleepy lizards and many hours of searching through the soil from inside kangaroo wallows @MikeG_lizards #Ornithodoros
I am thankful for REPTILES! What is your favourite reptile? Post your picts and faves in the comments below and let's all be Thankful for Reptiles. Be Thankful And Protect What You Love! @MikeG_lizards @b_derne @kailah_thorn @AOsingaBrown @ClaytonJessa
Contrary to what many may expect, when paired sleepy lizards are disturbed, it is often the female that is the more aggressive one. It is not uncommon for the male to simply try to escape @MikeG_lizards #lizards
Our study system is entering its 40th year of long-term surveys and research, and if you have ever had the joy of working with sleepy lizards you would know why we are so fond of our study subjects @MikeG_lizards #lizard
