Make Monitoring Reptiles Easier

A study from October 2025 calls for radiotelemetry to be optimised for studying reptiles at a small to medium species range.

Radiotelemetry is the use of tracking equipment on animals so that we can study their behaviour, travel paths and habitat utilisation. The equipment sends data to a receiving station through radio signals. Old heads will remember they came in form of handheld antennas whilst nowadays the use of GPS systems are implemented.

Early creations of the devices go as far back as the late 1800s when Guglielermo Marconi dabbled with systems to send and receive radio waves. It was not until the 1960s when we started to use the devices for animal tracking of mammals.

There has been little to no research in the area of how we can improve the monitoring of said reptiles using Radiotelemetery. Guilia Simbula et al. applied a study on "sand lizards inhabiting vineyard ecosystems" to shed light on current technology usage abilities.

Different harness designs were used over two years of study in the field. These were the Adapted Rappole-Harness (ARH), Shoulder Harness (SH), and Axillary Harness (AH). They monitored the "methodological details, attachment longevity, signal range and strength, potential behavioural effects, threats to lizards’ health and survival."

SH and AH models were successful in not bringing any negatives on their movements or habitat use. Both withstood a range of weather conditions and all natural behaviour was shown by the participants. Hardiness of the equipment was proven and so most of the devices were recovered bar predatory and battery failure events. The ARH model was abandoned as the sand lizards were slipping loose of the backpack because it was not attached properly. It would not be a good method to use on small to medium lizards.

Comparisons to previous studies make the above prototypes as triumphant, if not more so than previous models. The lighter weight of each backpack and the time of attachment on the each lizards proved this.

It is an unharmed lizard that should be the main prize. We can study these fascinating creatures with no damage done to the organisms or environment. This study provides that sense of health and safety of the herptile world and will pave the way for future studies in the field.