Lizard Lassoer

From 2016 to 2021, Earyn McGee spent hours hiking through Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains. She was searching for lizards as part of her Ph.D. project at the University of Arizona. Armed with an extendable pole with a loop of thread at the end, McGee would sneak up on any tiny lizard she came across. Then she’d slip the snare over its head and gently catch it. “It’s kind of like fishing and lassoing lizards at the same time,” says McGee. “It’s very fun, and it’s not as hard as it seems.”

Once she catches one, she notes its species, determines if it’s male or female, measures it, and collects other data. She compares this data with information about the lizard’s habitat. This helps her better understand the lizard population, how healthy it is, and the threats it faces, like droughts or wildfires.

McGee is a herpetologist, a scientist who studies amphibians and reptiles. As a kid, she spent a lot of time outdoors looking for animals. But it wasn’t until college that she learned she could make a career out of it. She enrolled in a research program and chose to study lizards. “I fell in love with them. I got the chance to try to answer questions I’d had since I was a kid, like: What do lizards eat? Where do they sleep? How do they communicate?” McGee says.

From 2016 to 2021, Earyn McGee spent hours looking for lizards. It was part of her research at the University of Arizona. McGee hiked through the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. She carried a long pole with a loop of thread at the end. When McGee came across a lizard, she carefully snuck up on it. Then she slipped the loop over its head. She tightened the loop to gently catch the animal. “It’s kind of like fishing and lassoing lizards at the same time,” says McGee. “It’s very fun, and it’s not as hard as it seems.”

Once McGee catches a lizard, she collects some data. First, she writes down what species it is. She also measures it and checks if it’s male or female. Later, she compares her data with information about the lizard’s habitat. This helps her understand the size of lizard populations. It can also tell her whether threats like droughts or wildfires are affecting them.

McGee is a herpetologist. That’s a scientist who studies animals like frogs and lizards. As a kid, she spent a lot of time outside looking for animals. But she didn’t realize she could make it her job until she was in college. McGee signed up for a research program. She chose to study lizards. “I fell in love with them,” she says. “I got the chance to try to answer questions I’d had since I was a kid, like: What do lizards eat? Where do they sleep? How do they communicate?”

McGee feels strongly that education is a crucial part of conservation. And the game is a fun way to teach people about lizards. “I hope when people learn how cool lizards are, they’ll start to care about them more,” she says.

McGee believes learning about animals is an important part of protecting them. And her game is a fun way to teach people. “I hope when people learn how cool lizards are, they’ll start to care about them more,” she says.