The Arizona Game and Fish Department invited Kevin to go to Pinta Sands to look for the elusive Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (April was invited too, but was unavailable). So, Kevin is finally getting around to writing about this trip, which will allow April to publish her other posts (she likes to go in chronological order).
On the map below I indicated the known range of the FTHL in light green. They probably occur in a wider area within the Gran Desierto of Sonora, Mexico, but I did not fill in the giant area of sand dunes since we really don't have records. The lizards may be there, but they may be absent from most of that area. I put red at Pinta Sands, which is a little extension of possible FTHL habitat that reaches back into the U.S. In spite of repeated efforts over the years, no FTHL have ever been located there, even though there are records not too far south in Mexico.
This is what the habitat looked like. It looked quite similar to the FTHL habitat near Yuma, but also different. It looked like it received more rainfall, which resulted in quite a bit more vegetation (doesn't it look lush?), and a lot more kangaroo rats. There were also a lot more harvester ants, the chief food of FTHLs.
This is NOT a FTHL. It is a Sonoran Horned Lizard. It's interesting, but it's not the species of interest. We found quite a few of these guys, in spite of the wind making tracking difficult.
It was Lin Piest (on the left), a USFWS biologist on the right, and her two field assistants. I'm so bad with names--I should have written this blog post sooner! Names aside, it was fun to meet new biologists and spend some time together.
Also not a FTHL. Sometimes tracks of Fringe-toed Lizards can look a lot like horned lizard tracks, particularly if the lizard is feeling lazy and walking slowly.
We camped overnight, which was basically miserable. Because we were right on the Mexican border in an area that has been used heavily for smuggling, the refuge personnel insisted we camp at a Border Patrol outpost ("Camp Grip"). All night long their noisy generators were running to power their air-conditioned building where they slept. Meanwhile we were outside in the heat and the wind. They also had a tall antenna with a light that flashed all night. Plus I had brought just a cot. I had planned on bringing a sheet to wet down to keep me cool, but I forgot it. The main problem though was the wind--for the time I was trying to sleep I was pretty much huddled next to a vehicle trying to keep from getting sand-blasted.
The next morning we awoke and searched again! Here are two more Sonoran Horned Lizards. The one next to the rock was a particularly challenging track to have followed--I spent more than 30 minutes searching for the lizard. I was hopeful it was a FTHL, but you really cannot tell which type of horned lizard you will find based on the tracks. I was just glad to finally find it hiding at the base of the rock.
Here is what the U.S./Mexican border looks like in this part of the country. Closer to Yuma they have erected a giant metal fence that is very difficult to climb over. In this section it is just a vehicle barrier. There is a highway close to the border in Mexico, so getting to this fence is no trouble, but you would have a LONG walk across the desert from this point. Border Patrol drags tires behind their vehicles along this and other roads then comes back later looking for tracks. This is the exact same technique April and I used when studying black bear tracks for April's thesis at BYU.
A hawk nest in a Saguaro with a cute baby looking out!
We actually camped a second night, and this time it was fine since we were far from Camp Grip. This was allowed since we had an armed law enforcement person who joined us for the night. Gun or not, he was terrified of scorpions and did not appreciate me having fun finding them near his cot. I should point out that while the night was fine, waiting through the heat of the day for the evening to come was quite miserable. We had a little shade structure and just laid on our cots being miserable for several long hours (the lizards, being smarter than us, were all underground). We did get up the energy to play Bananagrams for part of the time, which was my first introduction to that fun game (which we subsequently bought for our family). Has anyone tried their other games (Appletters, Pairs in Pears, Zip It, or Fruitonimoes)??
I found a Shovel-Nosed Snake, lacking the bright orange bands that we see on this species around Yuma. The regional color variation is interesting. On the drive back I also found a gopher snake, but forgot to take a picture (I think Lin took a picture of me holding it).
This is definitely not a FTHL! I have had bad Chuckwalla karma since I was a wee little lad. While others would see them, I never would. Finally, FINALLY I saw one, and of course I HAD to catch it! This was the highlight of the trip for me!
Did we ever find a FTHL? No, we did not. Tracking conditions were not ideal, but if they are there we probably would have found at least one. Perhaps the Sonoran Horned Lizards keep them out of the area somehow. But, maybe they really are there and we just need to look again. . . maybe I can talk April into going there next year, as she has caught more FTHLs than any other person on the planet. And maybe that Chuckwalla will be in the same place and I can catch it again!
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog postings . . .
