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© Jeff R. Clow
This green anole lizard was hiding in our garden this morning and I was able to get fairly close to him and make eye contact.....and as you can readily "see", he's shedding his skin.
This is one of the first macro shots I've taken with my new Nikon D700. It was coupled with a Sigma 105mm lens and it appears to do a fine job at the higher iso settings I needed.....
If you have a moment, I hope you'll view this at the larger size linked below:
About 10 minutes before this Anole lizard scampered on the railing of our backdoor stoop, I spotted one in the bushes on the other side of the bay windows in our kitchen. I wonder if this is the same one?
When editing this shot, I noticed this fellow appears to be covered in scars and old wounds. The top of his head and mouth look dented and scarred. Over his shoulders look like old puncture wounds, and on his back over his hind legs are more scars. And of course, his tail looks like it has been broken off and grown back, too.
Poor thing, after seeing this, I immediately ran to refill the mealworm feeder, since the anoles like mealworms, too!
** Click on the image for a closer look.
A Green Iguana staying perfectly still trying to blend in near the Biscayne National Park Visitor Center
Enlarge image to see more details! :)
@Veresegyház, Hungary.
If you like this photo, your faves, comments and observations are more than welcome!
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The story behind the image:
Yesterday I decided to take a short walk - of course with my camera :) - at a nearby lake to enjoy the April's sunshine, after work and before the gym session. At the lakeside found a small, sunlit clearing covered with reed and early spring flowers...and 3 green lizards chased the diverse insect species. Tried to minimize movement and settled down to attempt some shots. Amazingly, these cute reptiles accepted my presence within a couple of minutes, one of them even climbed on my leg while sitting in the grass. :) This shot was taken in a distance less than one foot.
Was excited to see my first Anole Lizard of the year sneaking around my patio, no doubt looking for tasty snacks hiding in all the nooks and crannies.
I eased outside, trying to keep my distance and started taking dozens of shots. It crawled down the brick wall, on top on a small garden statue and then up a post overhead and as far away form me as possible.
It was fast, well duh, and not keen on sitting still for more and the briefest of nano-seconds to see if I was still there. Only then could I manage a decent shot. This is one of the better ones, when it was overhead and almost out of sight.
Please note there is a second photo in the Comments section showing off his dewlap.
This green lizard was sitting on an old broomstick seemingly watching me water the plants. Naturally I dropped the hose and hurried inside to get my camera... ;)
(Lézard vert)
(Westliche Smaragdeidechse)
(Ramarro occidentale)
(Western Green Lizard)
(Lacerta bilineata)
Male (blue-throated) and female (white-throated) of the green lizard (Lacerta viridis)
Das Männchen (mit blauer Kehle) und Weibchen mit (weißer Kehle) der Smaragdeidechse (Lacerta viridis)
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He love to sunbath very much ;D.
European green lizard (Lacerta viridis).
Sometimes you don't have to go far to find an amazing creature!
I'm not sure why I call it "bird watching" because I usually see SO much more!
Case in point: While trying to get some bees checking out the Nandina blooms, I noticed one of the blooms was bobbing around in a most unusual way - as in blooms aren't supposed to move at all!
Looking closer, I spotted an Anole lizard who was perched/hiding in one of the blooms. Why? I have no idea! But I immediately opened the window very wide and hung out very carefully, trying to reach around the bloom to get a clearer shot, shooting blindly since I couldn't exactly see where I was pointing my camera. Can you see him?
Granted, not the clearest shot, but under the circumstances, the fact I managed any shots at all was pretty amazing.
These lizards can change their colours, quite rapidly, but not as rapidly as chameleons.
Changeable Lizards are usually a dull brown, grey or olive with speckles or bands, but can can be seen in other colours such as bright green. These colour changes may reflect their moods.
Changeable Lizards are related to iguanas (which are found only in the New World). Unlike other lizards, they do not drop their tails (autotomy), and their tails can be very long, stiff and pointy. Like other reptiles, they shed their skins. Like chameleons, Changeable Lizards can move each of their eyes in different directions.
Changeable Lizards eat mainly insects and small vertebrates, including rodents and other lizards. Although they have teeth, these are designed for gripping prey and not tearing it up. So prey is swallowed whole, after it is stunned by shaking it about. Sometimes, young inexperienced Changeable Lizards may choke on prey which are too large. They are commonly found among the undergrowth in open habitats including highly urban areas. The lizards were introduced to Singapore from Malaysia and Thailand in the 1980s.
Inspired by the excellent green lizard photos by yellowvanman (Keith Mantle) I decided to have a look myself - I only found one but this youngster was having an interesting time trying to swallow a de-shelled garden snail (Cornu aspersum). I didn't see how it had removed the shell, sadly, nor did I see it actually swallow the giant marshmallow of a prey item, as it retreated into the gorse after 10 minutes of chewing and then dropping the prey.
So many Green Lizards but usually all you see is a tail shooting into the undergrowth, this little fellow took a pose before heading off into someones garden, on the way to Corbiere
Jersey is the only area in Britain where green lizards occur naturally, in fact a number of attempts to introduce the species to mainland Britain have proved unsuccessful. The species is among the largest in Europe with adult males reaching lengths of between 30 and 40 cm (16 in.) with body weights of up to 45g. recorded. Recent studies show that Jersey’s green lizard Lacerta bilineata is found exclusively in Western Europe and is a sub-species of Lacerta viridis, a European green lizard with a range extending much further east.
GREEN LIZARDS are ectothermic heliotherms, that is to say they are cold blooded. Unlike mammals, they have no in-built control over their body temperature so they find warmth in suitable weather by basking. This essential heat is gathered either from direct sunlight or, on sunless days, from warm air or the residual heat from rocks.
Research has shown that green lizards are found mostly in dune systems, on cliff slopes and on coastal heaths. But even here they choose their habitat carefully. The vegetation needs to provide cover from predators but with open areas for basking. There should be plant growth to attract their main source of food, bees, butterflies and other insects and a layer of sandy soil in which the female can deposit her eggs. Add to these the need for warm safe areas in which to hibernate during the cold months and it becomes clear that green lizard habitat is very specific indeed.
There are colour variations within the species, designed, perhaps, to blend with the surrounding vegetation, though the predominant colour is green. Adult males are distinguished from the females by a larger head and a blue throat, the latter becoming much more prominent during the breeding season. The throat of the female is yellowish green.
Jersey represents the north-western edge of the green lizard’s range and because temperatures are generally lower than those experienced by other European species, the Island’s popu- lation needs to spend much longer basking. Foraging for food and mating will generally cause their body temperature to fall and such activities need to be fitted in with essential basking periods.
Many of the more densely populated green lizard habitats are cut by public foot paths and on those tracks used regularly by walkers they appear to be more people-tolerant. A quiet approach, taking care not to cast a shadow over the basking lizard, will often provide excellent photographic opportunities.
The breeding season takes place in April and May and at this time fierce fighting among males is not uncommon as they establish territories. Between five and twenty eggs are produced in June or July. The clutch is then hidden beneath vegetation or soil and warmed by the sun. The young emerge in September.
The largest populations of green lizards are found in the west and south-west of Jersey. Les Blanches Banques, the dune system at the southern end of St Ouen’s Bay and L’Ouaisné Common are considered the largest strongholds.
I was almost home from my morning walk. The sky was darkening and I could smell rain. Only one brilliant sunbeam remained. And, as if in some grand stage production, it was focused directly on this shiny, bumpy-skinned, green baby!
I was afraid he would dart as Anoles usually do. But he seemed as intent on getting that last bit of sunlight as I was on getting this shot! So we both stood still, endlessly it seemed... 10 shots, 12, 15. He stared at me the whole time with his shiny black-striped, unblinking eye.
Just as I felt I'd had enough, he'd had enough too. And disappeared so quickly I couldn't see him leave as I rushed to reach my front gate before a drenching tropical downpour.
See my set... Living in a Jungle.
Biscayne Park, FL