An Artificial Nest Chamber for Captive Crotaphytus collaris that Increases Clutch Success and Promotes Natural Behavior

摘要

The Eastern Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is a diurnal crotaphytid broadly distributed in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that inhabits arid and semiarid environments(Ballinger and Hipp 1985). This wide-ranging species is commonly associated with rocky outcrops and boulder fields, including artificial rocky places such as dams with rocky rip-rap(Baird et al. 1996; Braun et al. 2010). Collared lizards use boulders within rocky outcrops as lookouts to scan their territories for prey, intruders, or predators, and as refugia by squeezing between and underneath the boulders to thermoregulate, spend the night, lay clutches of eggs, and hibernate(Baird et al. 1996; Braun et al. 2010; Curtis and Baird 2008; Legler and Fitch 1957; Santoyo-Brito and Fox, in press). Undoubtedly, the cavities formed under rocks play an important role during all the life phases of C. collaris. However, little has been reported about cavity characteristics and the way in which lizards use them as nesting sites, as well as the lizards' nesting behavior. This lack of knowledge is true for C. collaris and most other saxicolous lizards. Here, we report our experience with gravid C. collaris and their use of artificial chambers provided as nesting and refuge sites under laboratory conditions as part of a larger project.