The Lizard Man Speaks

Corrie Herring Hooks Series

by Eric R. Pianka

Alone on the endless red-sand desert in the Australian outback, tracking Varanus giganteus, the perentie lizard that grows to be more than six feet long...for desert rat Eric Pianka, such adventures have led to a satisfying, if unusual, way of life, as well as a distinguished career as a field biologist. In The Lizard Man Speaks, Pianka recounts more than thirty years of adventures in reptile studies. He tells of "lizarding" in the North American deserts, the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa, and the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia. His vivid imagery draws the reader into a world where lions lurk in the darkness beyond a gecko hunter's lights, where being stranded by car trouble miles from the last outpost is a constant danger, and where the wilderness still deserves to be called wild. Along the way, Pianka provides much general information about lizard ecology, the fire succession cycle, and the interaction of humans with the landscape. And he reveals the springs of his own determined spirit and love of solitude, describing a near-fatal boyhood accident and its shaping and character-building effect on the life that followed.

179 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[David Rudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part autobiography, part travelogue and part treatise on desert lizards. Dr. Eric Pianka was an expert on lizards, especially those of North America, southern Africa and primarily Australia.

There are rousing tales of getting stuck, lost and hassled by bush flies in the Australian Outback! For an amateur herpetologist like myself there are stories of chasing and sometimes catching various kinds of monitor lizard, including the Perentie in Australia and catching nocturnal geckos in the Kalahari desert, while lions roar in the background.

Dr. Pianka also puts on his scientist/researcher hat to explain some of his research as well as various aspects of the biogeography of Australia where most of the story is set. This is a fun and readable account of biological field work and should appeal to most “herpers”.