🌿 Nature Notes 🌿 The Eastern Fence lizard is a small, scaly reptile native to open woodlands and forest edges across the eastern United States.

🦎 Eastern Fence lizards are sit-and-wait predators that eat mostly terrestrial arthropods and specialize in eating arthropods like ants, beetles, and crickets. They have an interesting relationship with the invasive red imported fire ant because although they can serve as a source of nutrition for the lizards, they also risk being swarmed by the ants and being stung, which can cause injury or even death in the lizards. Recent studies have found that in Eastern Fence lizard populations that have lived with fire ants for generations, some lizards may show more vigorous defensive behaviors, including rapid movements and behaviors that help dislodge attacking ants, which suggests that exposure to the invasive ants has produced evidence of natural selection on anti-predator behavior. Audrey Gentry [Image Description: Eastern Fence lizard on a log found around Sennett’s Hole] #naturelovers #supportconservation #enoriver