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Size and growth rate of sub adults: |
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Alan Bare Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 3  View other posts by Alan Bare |
Posted: 11 Jun 2005 Hi folks, right, im working as a research assistant during my summer hols identifying inverts for a conservation monitoring scheme. While sorting the samples as the pitfall traps come in i have found a sub-adult L.vivipara. Now my question is..... if adults give birth to newborn that measure around 4cm, then a specimen measuring 6.5cm must be this years young right? i have bred geckos and i know that they grow very rapidly over the first few months although i dont know if lacertids have the same growth rate. The reason why i ask is that i am sorting mays invert traps now and it was in one of those. Now i believe that the adults give birth in july and this specimen is 2cm bigger than a new born so it must have been around for a little while earlier than may. It was from Hedley Hope in county Durham which isnt the warmest of places so i found it interesting that it could be from an early brood. Any thoughts? Alan |
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Mick Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 184 View other posts by Mick |
Posted: 11 Jun 2005 When i used to breed them in an outdoor terrarium i've had young by mid' june, & although july to august was certainly more the norm', i don't think may births are really that rare. But still..such a rapid growing & early born one..& so far north too..that's weird! My only guess is that the little fella might actually be a lucky, autumn 2004 born survivor that's only just got in to its growth stride. Vivip's when born are basically between 3.5 to 4.5cm long. This fella might've been at the lowest end of that birth scale size & with being born so late might've only put around 1cm of growth on before hibernation. With its fat bodies well depleted from hibernation, & plus the little fella might've been a later than average riser from it, i'd say only putting on a further couple of centimeters by may is easily feasible. Tiny enough prey wouldn't be quite as bountiful, or varied for it to eat around spring neither, as opposed to all that would abound in more typical Vivip' birth months. Anyway, that's my guess at what's happened, & if so, then the little fella's certainly a tough little survivor. Mick. |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 12 Jun 2005 I'd agree with Mick, it's bound to be one of last years. I've never seen lizards out in Co. Durham before late March, it seems unlikely they'd be anywhere near giving birth yet. 2cm growth may not sound like a lot, but it probably represents a least a doubling in body mass. |
- Size and growth rate of sub adults |