‘ The beardie ran past us , but a few minutes later we found it in the
WHEEL RIM RIM of our CAR
CAR .’
Long-distance Lizards .
PhD candidate Gerrut Norval and Associate Professor Michael Gardner from the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University detail some instances of ‘ vehicular rafting ’ and point out the potential risks involved .
Gerrut Norval recalls :
As I was driving down Bower Boundary Road , a dirt road leading to our study site in the Mid North region of South Australia , in the late afternoon of the 5 th of December 2017 , I spotted a Central Bearded Dragon ( Pogona vitticeps ) basking in the middle of the road . Their habit of freezing while they judge whether you are a threat or just a passer-by makes these lizards ideal photographic subjects , so I stopped to add some more photos to my growing collection .
I took a few photographs and then decided to try to capture the lizard to inspect it for ticks . I was too slow ! The beardie had evidently made up its mind that I was a potential threat and took off at high speed past me and under my car parked at the side of the road . I checked underneath the car to see if it was still there , but saw nothing . Concluding that it had re-entered the roadside vegetation , I got back in the car and continued on my journey , stopping for fuel in Kapunda and then for bread in Adelaide , before arriving home in the early evening .
Four days later , in the afternoon of the 9 th of December , my wife and I returned from grocery shopping to be ‘ greeted ’ by a bearded dragon in the driveway leading to our home in Clarence Gardens , a suburb of Adelaide . It ran past us to the residents ’ parking area , and a few minutes later we were surprised to find it in the right rear wheel rim of our car . I caught the lizard , which I immediately assumed to be an escaped pet , since I have not seen any bearded dragons in the neighbourhood . So I took it to Simon Adamczyk , a
‘ The beardie ran past us , but a few minutes later we found it in the
WHEEL RIM RIM of our CAR
CAR .’
friend who lives nearby ( and owner of ‘ Animal Relocation & Education ’), for some advice on how to deal with the ‘ escapee ’. As he examined the lizard , he became increasingly doubtful that it had escaped from