Fishing for lizards is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel on a hot day near a rock wall in one Saanich neighbourhood.
Admittedly, Gavin Hanke, the curator of vertebrate zoology/knowledge at the Royal BC Museum, has been capturing them a long time. This, the common wall lizard, is particularly prolific in his neighbourhood, which is a relatively new development. A researcher down to the bone, he含羞草研究社檚 sourced the abundant to Derby Road a few blocks away starting in 2019 含羞草研究社� and they含羞草研究社檙e spreading quickly.
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The wall lizard was first introduced in the Saanich Peninsula in 1967. Other intentional and accidental releases over the years have bloomed the population.
含羞草研究社淚 bet we含羞草研究社檝e got 700,000 on the Island now,含羞草研究社� Hanke said.
The European wall lizard populations runs the Island from Metchosin to Campbell River with credible reports from Ucluelet, Powell River and even Broken Group Islands.
The problem with this prolific reptile is it含羞草研究社檚 invasive 含羞草研究社� with largely unknown impacts on local ecosystems.
Hanke knows they eat earwigs 含羞草研究社� he once smooshed some wall lizard poop in his hand and found an earwig tail. They also eat ants, termites and pillbugs, and pollinators 含羞草研究社� wasps, mason bees, bumble bees and honey bees. He worries they含羞草研究社檙e eating the early form of the chorus frog.
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Wall lizards will even eat each other. It含羞草研究社檚 among the reasons the population spreads so rapidly once one appears in a place. The young flee to new territory to avoid being eaten by a parent. Then their young flee them.
Research shows they expand 40 to 100 metres a year, and Hanke pleads with residents to slow that spread by not doing it intentionally. The lizards are also known to hitchhike on plant pots, firewood and hay bales. The alligator lizard, native to the region, isn含羞草研究社檛 nearly as abundant.
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e asking people not to move them around,含羞草研究社� Hanke said.
When he catches one, for research purposes or the museum, a few drops of Orgagel in the mouth euthanizes them quickly. The benzocaine soaks directly into the brain and the critter numbs then dies quickly.
Anyone with a photo or sighting to share can post it at or contact ghanke@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.
Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
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