We had a record number of attendees with 75 members and guests at our first general meeting in Februarywhich featured speaker James Baxter -Gilbert. His enthusiastic talk on the Eastern Water Dragon and their adaptability to a changing urban environment was fascinating.
An interesting aspect of the presentation was the methodology applied by James and the rigorous testing used in his research.
He captivated the audience with his story on the elusive nature of the dragon – taking him 6 months to capture candidates. It is anticipated that his impressive research will be awarded a PhD in Science . James put the offspring of the originally captured and released lizards through all sorts of rigorous experiments to test nature over nurture. The research looked at whether genetic difference was the reason the dragons have survived and thrived in a man – made world or if a steep curve of learned behaviour was the key .In conclusion James believes it is a combination of both with final results ready in another month or so. After such grueling research and experimentation, the expectation of a PhD
is particularly satisfying. A touching end to the presentation was to see James’ Dad throw his arm around his son in a show of admiration and pride
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