Critical thinking skills and sharp observation are among the soft skills students can develop to secure a competitive edge in the workplace. Sometimes those skills can even lead to new discoveries. A team of academic and amateur researchers recently discovered four new species of legless lizards living in easily overlooked habitats. The animals were located in several distinctly different areas around the state of California.
One species was found in the dunes surrounding Los Angeles International Airport, two other species were found in sparse areas around oil derricks in the San Joaquin Valley and one was found in a vacant lot in the urban area of Bakersfield. For years, the snake-like creatures were overlooked until researchers began to devise creative ways to attract them.
Over the last 14 years, herpetologists looking for these lizards began to place cardboard and plywood in various areas. They were hoping that these elusive lizards, that spend most their time underground, would utilize the cardboard and plywood as suitable domiciles. Approximately 200 species of legless lizards live in a variety of locations around the globe. Now there are 5 known species in California. Before these recent discoveries, biologist thought there was only one species living in the state.
Legless lizards can be distinguished from snakes only with close examination. Lizards can blink while snakes don’t have this ability because they lack eyelids. Also, the lizards have visible external ear openings. Most people who may have come across these animals likely would not have taken the time to get up close and personal enough with the slinky ground dwellers to make the distinctions. Since the legless lizards resemble garter snakes, they most likely were dismissed as such by casual passersby. Taking a closer look led to these once-in-a-lifetime discoveries for the team of researchers and their students.
While not every student can add “new species identification” to a résumé, developing astute observational skills and strong critical thinking skills can support ingenuity in any field. Choosing educational programs that lead to creative-problem solving and promoting outside the box thinking can build career growth and help uncover hidden possibilities lurking just around the corner or even hiding in plain sight. The right education and mentoring can build the skills most needed so that when opportunity presents itself, a professional can recognize it and capitalize on it before it becomes someone else’s grand discovery.
