January 22, 2020 | The Clarion
Arts & Life
Page 3
The Mexican alligator lizard
By Solomon Turner
Contributor
According to the Smithsonian’s National
Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute and
the “Reptiles Magazine” website frequented
by reptile pet owners, the Alligator Lizard, or
Abrinia graminea, lives in the Mexican states
of Veracruz and Puebla as well as in some
high elevation forests of Guatemala.
These lizards generally grow to about 10
inches in length and have unique coloration
ranging from blue teal to deep green. They
have yellow underbellies and distinct yellow
rings around each eye. While there isn't
a distinct sexual dimorphism within the
species, the males of this species tend to
be brighter in color while the females have
lateral stripes and are paler in color.
They have viviparous reproduction which
means they have live birth and do not lay
eggs. After their first year they are sexually
mature and will have one litter of seven to
14 olfspring each year. They actively breed
from July to November and may stay locked
together, or copulated, for up to 24 hours.
Their gestation period is six to eight months
and in captivity the males will potentially eat
the olfspring. Before giving birth, the female
will develop chalky white deposits on the sides
of her jaw mainly as a calcium deposit.
Their limited habitat range consists of the
high elevation cloud forests of Mexico and
Guatemala at about 4,000 to 8,000 feet in
elevation. These arboreal lizards live their
lives in the forest canopy among the dense
vegetation and bromeliads characteristic of
cloud forests. Due to their canopy lifestyle
they have prehensile tails which allow them to
maneuver through their environment with ease.
As a result of their limited habitat,
conservation efforts are needed in order to
ensure their survival due to the increasing
pressure and deforestation occurring for
agricultural land.
The pet industry is also a threat towards
these rare arboreal gems due to their vibrant
coloration and they can be found in many
reptile expos across the world. While it
is not illegal to have them as pets it is the
responsibility of a potential buyer to ensure
that the lizard is sourced from an experienced
breeder and not harvested from the wild. Due
to habitat destruction and the pet industry
they, along with portions of the rangeland,
have been given protection under Mexican
law.
According to “Reptiles Magazine,” a local
misconception of these lizards is that they
are poisonous which is attributed to their
coloration and aggressive tendency to bite.
Due to this misconception the native people
tend to kill these lizards on sight and refer to
them as “escorpion de arbol” which means
“tree scorpion” in Spanish.
'Purpose under pressure'
By Amber Vance
staff Writer
“Purpose Under Pressure” was a motivational
speaking event that was sponsored by Brevard
College Athleties and Campus Life. The event
was held at the Porter Center at 9 p.m. last
Wednesday night.
The guest speaker was Yannick McKie,
founder of the McKie Foundation. McKie began
his presentation by saying he was filming for a
documentary and his speech would be recorded.
McKie started the foundation to help at risk
youth and to assist young people like him who
had lost their parents. McKie explained that he
had lost both parents before the age of fifteen
and he turned down a negative path that led him
to federal prison.
He explained he made negative choices to
deal with problems, but, to be truly successful,
you need mental toughness, the ability to push
through pressure and change the way you think to
reach your purpose. “You need to determine your
what you want to accomplish (purpose) and why
you are doing it (passion),” McKie said. Passion
helps you to push through pain and obstacles to
achieve your purpose.
McKie told the audience to form many
different types of goals for different areas such
as finances, education, spirituality and familial
goals. “Once a goal is achieved, your future
becomes more clear,” McKie said.
McKie referred to an interview with
Mahammad Ali in which the interviewer asked
him how many sit-ups he did in training and
his response was that he did not count the sit-
ups until it started hurting. “Sometimes things
have to get hard and the hurt is what will help
you,” said McKie. “Just beeause things didn’t
work out does not mean you won’t achieve
your piupose. Remember if you have a negative
perspective it will lead to negative feelings that
lead to negative behaviors.”
Before McKie ended his presentation, he
instructed the audience to ask themselves,
“What is distracting me from maximizing my
potential and reaching my goals?” Then he
concluded by summarizing the points in his
speech as he said, “The key to success is having
purpose, passion, a positive perspective, being
aware of the kinds of people around you and
being prepared. Be careful of who you surround
yourself with, they will determine your habits.”
When he was finished, McKie announced
that everyone in the audience was welcome to
have pizza in Tornado Alley. This event was a
successful one not just for the refreshments but
for the motivating speeeh given by McKie that
everyone can use in their life.
New printers!
Over the course of Winter Break, the IT
Department for Brevard College was busy at
work with its latest installment: new printers
in several areas around campus.
This process began with the changing to a
locally-based printer vendor. Sharp, in order to
control cost, improve the quality of equipment
and service and expand aceess to more people
in the campus community.
Changes from the old way of printing on
campus include the ability to print from
anywhere to anywhere there is a viable printing
device, print jobs not being released until you
activate that option at the physical device and
options for color printing.
To print, one must simply tap their ID card on
the device or type in their ID number (making
sure not to include any zeros preceding the
ID number) and releasing the print job by
following the instructions displayed on the
screen.
Students should note that, with the expansion
of printers to residence halls, personal printers
are no longer allowed in the residence halls.
Faculty and staff will also no longer be allowed
to lease any individual desktop printers due to
high costs for that particular service.
Students, faculty, and staff can learn more
information about the new printing setup on
their brevard.edu email or by contacting the
IT HelpDesk at help@brevard.edu or 828-
884-8303.
— Julie Carter