By Susan Rothrock Deo

Walking my dog in early April, I found this pair of southern alligator lizards, Elgaria multicarinata, on a neighboring block. I watched them for several minutes and they didn’t move. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, so I did some research and learned they have a unique mating ritual. The male bites the female’s neck, mates quickly, but keeps holding on for up to forty-eight hours! If you see any interesting or unique lizard behavior, take a video and send it to the LA County Natural History Museum. They are gathering information about the behavior of Southern California lizards with citizen science—that’s YOU! The Natural History Museum calls these programs “Community Science.” Check out their website to see what types of community science interest you!