Meeting Abstract
Animals need to perform a variety of tasks to survive and reproduce, and they also have a choice of how to perform some of those tasks. Basilisk lizards (Basiliscus vittatus) have the ability to both swim through water, and run on its surface. Although we know that these lizards can cross bodies of water using these two different modes of locomotion, it is unknown why they decide whether to run or swim. Many factors could play a role in making this decision, such as cost of locomotion, types of predators in the environment, or maximizing locomotor performance. Variables such as velocity and acceleration can be used to compare performance amongst the two modes of locomotion. The average velocity, maximum velocity, and maximum acceleration were calculated for each of the 2-6 trials for each mode of locomotion and each sampled individual. The fastest trial for each mode of locomotion was compared using paired t-tests. Basilisks attained significantly higher average and maximum velocities while running on water than when swimming. However, maximum acceleration did not differ between the two locomotor modes. These finding showed that the juvenile basilisks that we studied were able to run on water faster than swim through it. Hence, we would expect that they might prefer to run on water, because it would allow them to better escape predators.
