This a poem one of my wonderfully talented roommates wrote for me as a Christmas present this year and, as it is also about lizards I thought I might share it with you. Enjoy.
In Honor of
Lizards
for Anne
(that's me...when I'm not being Hopeful Herpetologist)
Some might think it
odd that Anne
Should choose to make
her future plan
Involving certain
small reptilians
But truly there are
many millions
Of cogent reasons (as
we’ll find)
Why all should love
the lizard kind.
They’re small and
quiet, quick and neat
Excepting, maybe,
when they eat
Each other. Yes,
sometimes they tend
To gobble up a
smaller friend
And you’ll sometimes
see them trot about
With half their lunch
still sticking out.
But if that less than
wholesome sight
Should make you lose
your appetite
Never fear, there is
a chance
You’ll study those
that dine on ANTS!
And then the fun
begins with speed
Hours of watching
video feed—
Ants that leave and
ants that stay
Ants that run around
all day
Ants that go and ants
that come
Until the end of
Christendom.
And why? Well, that’s
for you to see
You’re the scientist.
Not me.
Of course you won’t
spend every day
In such a sedentary
way
You’ll go wherever
the lizards go!
And where is that?
Well, as you know
For cold-blooded creatures,
the perfect spot
Is always where it’s
very HOT.
So to the desert off
you trek
In dust and sand up
to your neck
Without a shower or a
bed
Skinning bunnies you
find dead
Chasing scales till
morning light
Hoping the tent stays
up at night.
And when you’re back
to civilization
Still you have an
obligation
To research, synthesize,
regroup
And measure piles of
lizard poop.
But there’s no doubt
that lizards are
The pinnacle of life
by far
And worth the hours,
days and years
The strain, the
sweat, the blood and tears.
Indeed, I can’t
imagine who
Could something more fun to do.
So Anne, I wish you
all the best
May you and lizards
both be blessed
Good luck, good
tidings, and Godspeed
(But I think I’ll
stay at home and read.)
~Rachel~
On a side note, yes I did spend three weeks in the desert living in a tent with only two showers to hold me over. I also weighed and measured quite a lot of lizard poop and sent a few months counting ants on videos to help us understand the availability of prey for ant-eating lizards. A rabbit or two were skinned during this time but it was in the name of science I promise.
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| One of the lizards I worked with in the desert, the Western whiptail, very hard to catch once they've warmed up. |
It truly was a test of my love for lizards and I'm happy to say that I continue love them just as much, if not more than I did before.
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| The Leopard Lizard. I think she's sun bathing in this person's hand |
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| The desert horned lizard, or horny toad if you prefer. They look so grumpy. |
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| Just in case you were wondering about the part with "half their lunch hanging out." Yes that is a leopard lizard in the process of digesting a whiptail, lovely imagery isn't it? |
If any of you feel the need to know more about my experiences into the nitty-gritty part of science and herpetology, or simply to ask me something along the lines of why on Earth a rabbit had to skinned, leave a comment and I would be perfectly willing to expand on the story.
