Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been wondering if anyone knows how exactly these guys hibernate through the winter?
I know they dig in but do they choose high ground to avoid drowning in a wet year?
Do they find a "den" and winter there?
Cheers!

That's a good question. I'm not really up on it myself. What I've read suggests that they just burrow like they normally do at night. I haven't seen any information on whether they choose sites that are different somehow so as to avoid flooding. While in Arizona and some other places the rainfall is usually cofined to the summer months, there are ceratinly areas within HL range in which winter rainfall is substantial (the California coast, for example). You would think that a dry creek bed or wash would not be a good place to try to get 6 months of sleep in areas like that.

:Radio tracking 80 HLs at 4 sites for 3 years shed some pretty interesting findings on hibernation habits. HLs (Coast) would move to higher ground and burrow from 1.5 to 2.75 inches under leaf litter at the base of buckwheat, white or black sage, and/or chamise. Some HLs would use rodent burrows. Their prep for hibernation would begin about late September - early October, depending on day/night temperature differentials. The HLs had higher elevation sites "coincident" with greater winter rainfall. I say "coincident" because any other term would indicate "prediction" of increased rainfall. One year, the HLs being tracked would have intermittent activity during the hibernation cycle for no apparent reason (no food items available, little rainfall, cooler temps). Just some notes. More radio tracking is under way at present study sites, plus more at two new sites. Lester G. Milroy III

Very interesting Lester, thanks!
Now how do you get a transmitter on an HL that does not interfere with their daily activities? And how long can that battery last?

Cheers

:The transmitters are from Holohil and weigh about 2.1 grams. They are set into a harness and strapped on the HLs in the field. Batteries last about 6 months and transmit to a range of about 500 feet. The HLs seemed to have little problem with the harness and were even able to mate with no problems. No HLs were lost during the tracking. The receiver was made by Communications Specialists and has a 3 element Yagi. System worked very well in the field. Lester G. Milroy III

Lester, is that study published yet? I'd love to see the paper.

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/lizards/dispatch/dispatch_10.html

nm

:It is in the works. (Part of my grad paper and management guidelines for reserves). I will have more of the pictures at hornedlizards.com on the work being done. Lester G. Milroy III