During our fieldwork, we recently encountered a male Anolis cristatellus with two tails. This is the result of a peculiarity of lizards’ tail regeneration process. Like many lizards, anoles can lose their tails if they’re grabbed by a predator (or, it turns out, a biologist!). This process is called “caudal autotomy.” As a defensive tactic, [...]

Research almost never progresses in a straight line, and this is particularly true of field research. When biologists encounter unexpected obstacles, we often have to improvise new data collection methods or modify our experiments to fit the current situation. I’ve already run into some surprises this year, and it’s been a challenge to figure out [...]

There are a lot of good photographers these days. Photographic technology has advanced rapidly, particularly since the digital revolution. Modern cameras capture images with incredible resolution, color, and dynamic range. Sophisticated autofocus and automatic exposure controls make it possible for beginners to create images that, a few decades ago, would have been once-in-a-lifetime photographs. In [...]

A couple of weeks ago, I was selected to be an Associate Member of the International League of Conservation Writers (iLCW). When the iLCW’s formation was announced late last year, it sounded like the kind of organization that I’d like to be involved with, so I applied for membership. In this blog, as many of [...]

As most of you know, I’m studying anoles — small lizards in the genus Anolis — for my Ph.D. dissertation. I was just in Puerto Rico with my two field assistants to gather some male Anolis cristatellus for behavioral experiments. While there, we observed and captured half a dozen anole species, representing considerable variation in [...]

I posted this link on Facebook last week, but in case you missed it, I was interviewed by National Geographic editor David Braun about my research (which is partly funded by a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant) and my participation in the upcoming Bioblitz in Biscayne National Park. The Bioblitz is a 24-hour biological inventory, [...]

Apologies for the protracted silence! I returned to Miami on Sunday from a short trip to Puerto Rico, and I just moved into my “permanent” field home (Nate Dappen‘s house) yesterday. My field assistants and I met our goal of returning to Miami with 48 male crested anoles (Anolis cristatellus), which are now getting used [...]

I just finished my cross-country drive to Miami for my 2010 field season. Luckily, I was able to split the driving with my two field assistants, Miles Meyer and James Liu. Twenty-eight hundred miles is a lot of ground to cover! We didn’t have time to stop, but I can’t help but look for wildlife [...]