1989/06/01 by Barbara A. Ellis-Quinn, Carol A. Simon · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Turtle Biology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.2307/1564020
The homing ability of Sceloporus jarrovi was studied in southeastern Arizona during the summers of 1978-1980. One hundred eight lizards were displaced distances ranging from 50-200 m. The homing success of males and females was similar. Adults returned home from all displacement distances, while juveniles homed poorly at distances greater than 50 m. Juvenile S. jarrovi may be poor at homing because they are unfamiliar with areas greater than 50 m from their homes, and/or because they lack sufficient attachment to their home ranges due to their young age (2 months in this study). Among adults, one year old lizards returned home in significantly fewer numbers than older animals. Their lower homing success may be attributable to a weaker attachment to a home range since these lizards are often subor- dinates in the population. For one year old lizards, as for juveniles, the costs of homing may simply outweigh the benefits of establishing a new home range. There was no significant difference in homing success between lizards displaced in opposite directions. This indicates that lizards were not moving in stereotyped compass directions after release. Once lizards returned home, they remained in the same area, even in subsequent years. It is unlikely that S. jarrovi uses any of the following homing mechanisms: Y-axis orientation, use of sensory cues obtained during the displacement journey, or geotaxis.