Train tracks provide a good means of transportation for the wall lizard. This kind of population success and movement spells trouble, according to wildlife experts, who worry about the impact non-native species have on existing ecosystems. He said wherever there is a limestone wall with good southern exposure, the lizards could follow. (The lab's Web site, asks visitors to report sightings.) Ken Petren, a biologist at the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues have been studying the lizard's DNA and its movement for a year and a half. Urban growth, however, did not faze the wall lizard, and its numbers grew. Hedeen said he thinks the wall lizard occupied a niche left vacant by the fence lizard, a species that did well in the area until rapid urbanization forced the species to leave. The emerald ash borer, wild boar and mute swan are a few. Climate and competition, among other things, can spell doom for a species trying to get a foothold. In some cases, the species simply can't survive in its new surroundings. If a new species is introduced, several things can happen. In nature, Hedeen explained, species inhabit niches. When George Rau brought them to Cincinnati, they were pre-adapted because they were used to European cities," he said. "In Europe, the lizards existed on rocky slopes. The reptile's population grew from a few to tens of thousands, said Hedeen, who spent 30 years tracking its migration patterns. "The climate and precipitation are almost identical in Milan and Cincinnati," said Stan Hedeen, who recently retired from teaching biology at Xavier University. The street, Torrence Court, is known as Lizard Hill. Little did the boy know that the street where he let them go was a perfect fit for the species, which is known locally as the Lazarus Lizard. When he returned, the boy smuggled the reptiles back to the department store family's home east of downtown Cincinnati. In 1951, George Rau, a young member of the Lazarus family, was on vacation at Lake Garda near Milan, Italy, where he adopted a handful of local lizards. "If it were feasible and possible to eliminate the species, we would." "It's in Ohio's best interest if they were never here to begin with," said Caldwell, of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Podarcis muralis, wildlife experts say, has become too comfortable. They sunbathe on the sidewalks and nestle in the rocky walls that line old neighborhoods. These are lizards: European wall lizards, to be precise. Those, Carolyn Caldwell might appreciate. CINCINNATI - There are pockets of this hilly city where sleek little Italian imports cruise the streets.īut these are no Fiats or Alfa Romeos.
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