What are the benefits of living life in a group? Does group living help you evade predators? Does it help you gain the best mates? Do you learn where the best food is located, and the best nesting spots for your eggs? Is it all better than life alone?

These are some of my questions as I start a long-term research project on iguana social behavior. I'll  follow distinct groups of the spiny-tailed iguana, Ctenosaura similis, analyzing the fitness benefits of living in groups. Perhaps iguanas in larger groups gain an advantage over individuals livings in smaller groups or solitary iguanas. Of course, time, data, and analysis will reveal why hanging near each other is useful for this lizard.

The name of this chronicle is taken from the above meme -- let's face it, getting the right mate is just one hurdle each iguana faces. Perhaps all it does take is a piece of toast!

I'll also share the joys of field work -- it's preparations, aggravations, triumphs, and defeats -- and the work and sheer enlightenment from analysis of data collected during research trips.