Forest

SPOILERS:

Why Do Some Lizards Change Colors?

by Whit Gibbons

One of the most commonly seen lizards in the southern states is the green anole, also known as the North American green anole or Carolina anole. (Its scientific name is Anolis carolinensis.) Although more than 400 species of anoles are known to science, the green anole is the only one native to the United States. Most people appreciate seeing them in their yards.   I contacted Tom Jenssen, an expert on the subject of color-changing behavior in green anoles. During his career as a professor at Virginia Tech, Tom observed thousands of green anoles while conducting research on the species. His observations confirmed categorically that the color of a green anole has nothing to do with what the lizard is standing on. One on a green leaf can be brown; one on dark soil can be green. He indicated that factors causing a green anole to exhibit the brown color phase are not completely understood but he explained the biological mechanism...

Read more: https://whitgibbons.com/ecoviews_lizards/

Population could be declining for rare species of salamander found almost exclusively in Knox County

In Knoxville's caves, the endangered Berry Cave Salamander clings to survival as conservationists work to protect them.

Inside a network of caves below the former Ross Marble quarry at Ijams Nature Center, a rare salamander in the world survives in near total darkness. The endangered Berry Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus gulolineatus) has only ever been documented at eleven historical locations worldwide. And according to a 2017 survey, researchers were only able to confirm the species at four of those sites — three of them in Knox County. “That’s a pretty heavy burden of responsibility on the landowner,” Ben Nanny, the conservation director at Ijams Nature Center, said.  One of those protected cave entrances sits behind massive iron gates installed at Mead’s River Cave in 2008. The gates are designed to keep people out while still allowing bats and other wildlife to move freely through the cave system. Dr. Matthew Niemiller, a biologist and associate professor who has spent years studying cave species in Tennessee, says cave ecosystems often function like isolated islands...

Read more: Population could be declining for rare species of salamander found almost exclusively in Knox County | wbir.com

The Great Prehistoric Search. Written by Jane Bingham, illustrated by Ian Jackson. Published in 2004.