City lizards are more social than their country cousins

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-24 09:01

International

Image by Joël from Pixabay

Urban lizards are more tolerant of their neighbours and have more, and stronger, social connections than those in nature-rich habitats, according to international research. The team studied a lizard found in Europe known as the Common wall lizard, which are typically territorial, and found that the population density of the lizards is higher in cities, but the resources available to the lizards is patchy. The team say the lizards have shifted social strategies in these areas to be more socially tolerant because conflict has become more costly. According to the researchers, adjusting behaviour in response to changing social conditions is important in allowing some species to cope with urban life.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

City lizards are more social

Biology Letters

Cities are changing how animals interact. Researchers studied Common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) to see how urban life affects their social behavior. Social network analysis revealed that urban lizards have more social connections and stronger bonds than their non-urban counterparts. The structure of cities, with confined spaces and patchy resources, may encourage greater social tolerance, even in species that usually keep their distance. This is among the first studies to show that urbanization can boost social connectivity in a species that is typically less social, suggesting that shifts in social strategies may help animals adapt to city life.

Journal/
conference: Biology Letters

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Bielefeld University, Germany

Funder: No funding has been received for this article.

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