Using Dogs' Sense of Smell to Track Endangered Lizards

[FamTimes reporter Jennylyn Gianan] Scientists recently discovered another way to track an elusive flat-nosed lizard species classified as endangered: using dogs' sense of smell to locate the lizards' droppings.

In 2014, researchers at York University in Toronto, Canada, enlisted dogs as research partners and discovered that the lizards, found only in certain parts of California in the United States, live beneath shrubs to escape the heat.

The researchers used the dogs' sense of smell to track the lizards' droppings. The lizards hide among shrubs to avoid predators. They live concealed in holes dug by rodents or beneath shrubs.

York University doctoral student Alex Filazzola said, “This shows how many animals depend on plants for survival beyond simply using them as food.”

Filazzola added, “As the climate warms, it becomes more difficult for lizards to regulate their body temperature in the heat, so these findings could help conserve them not only in California but around the world.”

In recent years, many shrubs in the lowlands where these lizards lived have been removed and solar panels installed.

Publishing the latest findings in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology, Filazzola warned of the adverse effects this trend could have on lizard ecology.

Filazzola argued, “Planting shrubs such as California ephedra (Ephedra californica) is extremely important for managing and conserving endangered species in stressful, arid ecosystems such as deserts. But if we continue removing these shrubs to install solar panels, animals could be put at risk.”

Flat-nosed lizards were once abundant in California's San Joaquin Valley, but human activity has reduced their range by about 85%. If drought becomes widespread in the region, the lizards could become extinct.

Jennylyn Gianan fam1@pcss.co.kr