Figure 2: Previous to this study, the accepted method for tracking legless lizards consisted of placing wood coverboards  on the soil surface, then periodically digging under them to check for the presence of lizards (Hunt and Zander 1997).  Although this is a low-impact, cost-effective sampling method, it cannot be used to determine population size, home range, or microhabitat selection.  At our study site where the abundance of lizards was known, coverboards were ineffective for detecting the presence or determining the density of lizards (L. Kuhnz, pers. observ.).