View allAll Photos Tagged coldblooded
I know that some want to see more of the bayou and so, this post is for you. Not the most inspiring place at the moment after the freeze because of all the frozen reeds and such, but this is the way I see it. This is a portion of the bayou that we don’t visit very often, and I must admit that it’s been 5 or 6 years since I’ve paddled up Armand Bayou this far. I’m glad I made the trip even though it’s not as interesting and gratifying as the trip up Horsepen Bayou. I managed to find the master of the area and he was quite an imposing presence. Every bit as large as anything on Horsepen Bayou and doing what gators do best and soaking up the sun.
The bayou isn’t the most beautiful place at this time of the year, but it is when you see most of the alligators trying to warm themselves after a cool evening. This alligator is in the 13-foot range and one MASSIVE lump of lump lizard. I’ll revisit him a bit later as he had no interest in leaving while I was shooting. I might add that this is at extremely low tide as well and that’s why you see so much mud in this shot. Photo taken on Armand Bayou.
A7R08184uls
. . on the subject of Explore!?
To me, Flickr is not about Explore, it is about the ability to share one's work and obtain feedback, to make lasting friendships and enjoy the camaraderie of others with a similar passion, to see the tremendous artistry of others' photography, and to learn and improve one's own photographic and artistic skills.
Nevertheless, c'mon, and be truthful, when one of our images gets into Explore! don't we all experience a frisson of pleasure, and the recognition that one of our pics was in that day's top 500 "interesting" photos?
But I cannot for the life of me figure out how "interestingness" works. I've read it is all about an algorythm which calculates views, ratio of faves to views and comments, speed at which which faves/comments were garnered, etc, all the statistical things that would indicate people have found a particular image "interesting". But it's more, the question is what?
Wait a mo' - this is no gripe and definitely not a complaint! I'm just curious to know your feelings on Explore, if you have any better understanding or idea how it defines "interestingness, and how it works. I'm assuming, like me, most of you will take Explore with a pinch of salt and regard it as simple "fun", but it is also fun to debate / understand it, too.
All that having been said . . . I was just filling out the "comment" box because I couldn't think of anything else for this image ;-D
The Spotted Turtle is a relatively small freshwater turtle. In adults, the carapace (upper part of the shell) generally measures less than 13 cm in length. This species can be recognized by its black carapace with orange-yellow spots.
The Spotted Turtle occurs only in eastern North America. Populations are located in southern Ontario and in the United States along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Maine to central Florida, and westward from the south shores of the Great Lakes to northeastern Illinois.
These omnivores include in their diet aquatic insects, slugs, snails, crustaceans, tadpoles, dead fish, algae, and aquatic vegetation including cranberries.
The decline of the Spotted Turtle is attributable to multiple factors: excessive capture for illegal trade, habitat fragmentation and destruction, road mortality, predation by numerous species (particularly the raccoon), agriculture and pollution. The Spotted Turtle is particularly sensitive to habitat destruction and excessive collection in the spring when turtles aggregate for breeding and in the fall when they aggregate for hibernation. Due to its slow growth, the number of years it takes to reach maturity and the low survival rate of eggs and juveniles, the Spotted Turtle is particularly vulnerable to increased mortality and capture of adults and juveniles. Moreover, the Spotted Turtle is very sensitive to pollution and toxic products and succumbs rapidly to the degradation of water quality.
Island Of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Berenty Reserve
Snake found by our guide the morning we were leaving the reserve to board our bus for a three hour trip to the next location. Not the best image, but this one is the only youngster we saw of the boa.
An adult boa can be seen in the first comment section.
Wikipedia -
Sanzinia madagascariensis (also known as the Malagasy tree boa, or Madagascar tree boa is a non-venomous boa species endemic to the island of Madagascar. Two subspecies are currently recognized: S. m. madagascariensis and S. m. volontany.
Adults average 4–5 feet (122–152 cm) in length, although 6–7 foot (183–213 cm) specimens are not uncommon. Thermoreceptive pits are located between the labial scales. Females are larger than males. Endemic to Madagascar. Favors trees and shrubs near streams, rivers, ponds and swamps.
This species was classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2006.
Arboreal and generally nocturnal, S. madagascariensis feeds on mammals and birds. Its thermoreceptive pits help it to locate its prey. It will also leave the trees to actively hunt for small mammals on the ground.
When females become gravid, their skin color darkens. This adaptation provides increased heat absorption for the developing young. After giving birth, the color returns to normal as soon as it next sheds its skin. Neonates are a bright red that may warn predators to "stay away", while simultaneously providing camouflage among brightly colored treetop flowers.
I consider my Grandad to have sent me this, as the day before i photographed it i had just said to my mum "oh how i wish i could photograph a wild british snake"... and the next day i find this little guy on my patio (which used to be my grandads' house) it's such a rarity and i am so pleased :)
This is a juvenile british grass snake (Natrix natrix), please view larger on black
Me and my Grandad were as close as anyone could ever get, he would always help me with my art, he was an amazing artist, i hope that he is proud of my photography..
Island of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Peyrieras Madagascar Exotic Reserve
Female parson’s chameleon. The female is wild and was photographed in the forest. The female does not have a horn. Another shot of the female can be seen in the first comment section.
The Parson's chameleon (Calumma parsonii) is a large species of chameleon that is endemic to isolated pockets of humid primary forest in eastern and northern Madagascar.
artistic conception
The roots of lotus are planted in the soil of the pond or river bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the leaves. The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.
Researchers report that the lotus has the remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range just as humans and other warmblooded animals do. Dr. Roger S. Seymour and Dr. Paul Schultze-Motel, physiologists at the University of Adelaide in Australia, found that lotus flowers blooming in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens maintained a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F).
They suspect the flowers may be doing this to attract coldblooded insect pollinators. The study, published in the journal Nature, is the latest discovery in the field of thermoregulation, heat-producing, plants. Two other species known to be able to regulate their temperature include Symplocarpus foetidus and Philodendron selloum.
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Thanks to every friend ! Greetings ! And wish you every lucky !
The roots of lotus are planted in the soil of the pond or river bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface or are held well above it. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the leaves.
The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.
Researchers report that the lotus has the remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range just as humans and other warmblooded animals do.
Dr. Roger S. Seymour and Dr. Paul Schultze-Motel, physiologists at the University of Adelaide in Australia, found that lotus flowers blooming in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens maintained a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F).
They suspect the flowers may be doing this to attract coldblooded insect pollinators. The study, published in the journal Nature, is the latest discovery in the field of thermoregulation, heat-producing, plants. Two other species known to be able to regulate their temperature include Symplocarpus foetidus and Philodendron selloum.
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Leave a message, add to the favorites or visit,
Thanks to every friend ! Greetings ! And wish you every lucky !
7/1
Northern Copperhead Snake - neonate - Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
Getting this close to photograph a pit viper is emphatically NOT advocated..... even if it happens to be a juvenile like this one!
richmond virginia - chesterfield county - reptile in macro
Galapagos Islands
Off The Coast Of Equador
South America
Santa Fe Island
Land iguana basking in the sun. Shedding some skin.
The Barrington Land Iguana or Santa Fe Land Iguana (Conolophus pallidus) is a species of lizard in the Iguanidae family. It is one of three species of Conolophus. It is endemic to Santa Fe Island in the Galapagos.
Its generic name, Conolophus, is derived from two Greek words: conos (κώνος) meaning "spiny" and lophos (λοφος) meaning "crest" or "plume", denoting the spiny crests along their backs.
The Barrington Land Iguana is similar in every detail to the Galapagos Land Iguana except that the Barrington Island Iguana is paler yellow in color with a longer more tapered snout and more pronounced dorsal spines. The Barrington Land Iguana grows to a length of three feet with a body weight of up to twenty-five pounds.
Being cold-blooded, they absorb heat from the sun basking on volcanic rock and at night sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat. These iguanas also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the island's finches; the birds remove parasites and ticks providing relief to the iguana and food for the birds.
Barrington Land iguanas are primarily herbivorous, however some individuals have shown that they are opportunistic carnivores supplementing their diet with insects, centipedes and carrion. Because fresh water is scarce on the islands it inhabits, the Land Iguana obtains the majority of its moisture from the prickly-pear cactus that makes up 80% of its diet: fruit, flowers, pads, and even spines. During the rainy season it will drink from available standing pools of water and feast on yellow flowers of the Genus Portulaca. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. - Source Wikipedia
Rabida Island
Galapagos
Off The Coast of Equador
The Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species of the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), in the dry lowlands of Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Baltra, and South Plaza.
The Galapagos land iguana grows to a length of 3 to 5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) with a body weight of up to 25 lb (11 kg), depending upon which island they are from. Being cold-blooded, they absorb heat from the sun by basking on volcanic rock, and at night sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat. These iguanas also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with birds.
Land iguanas are primarily herbivorous; however, some individuals have shown that they are opportunistic carnivores supplementing their diet with insects, centipedes and carrion. Because fresh water is scarce on the islands it inhabits, the Galapagos land iguana obtains much of its moisture from the prickly-pear cactus that makes up 80% of its diet: fruit, flowers, pads, and even spines. During the rainy season it will drink from available standing pools of water.
It is estimated that the Galapagos land iguana has a 50 to 60-year lifespan. They are currently listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable, but this status has not been reviewed since 1996– Wikipedia
Island Of Madagascar
Off the East Coast of Africa
Palmarium Reserve
The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) is a species of chameleon found in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar in a tropical forest biome.
Panther chameleons are zygodactylous: on each foot, the five toes are fused into a group of two and a group of three, giving the foot a tongs-like appearance. These specialized feet allow the panther chameleon a tight grip on narrow branches.
Their eyes are the most distinctive among the reptiles and function like a gun turret. They can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously; their eyes move independently from each other.
Panther chameleons have very long tongues which they are capable of rapidly extending out of the mouth. The tongue extends at around 26 body lengths per second. The tongue hits the prey in about 0.0030 sec. At the base of the tongue, a bone is shot forward, giving the tongue the initial momentum it needs to reach the prey quickly.
At the tip of this elastic tongue, a muscular, club-like structure covered in thick mucus forms a suction cup. Once the tip sticks to a prey item, it is drawn quickly back into the mouth, where the panther chameleon's strong jaws crush it and it is consumed. – Wikipedia
Frontal shot of a juvenile Brown vine snake (Oxybelis aeneus), found at night at Barro Colorado Island, Panama.
Just one of many scrub lizards keeping the insects population in control in Central Florida, USA. I blurred the background to give the lizard a 3D type effect.
A very common green vine snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) that I found while staying at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in Karnataka, India. These snakes can be found throughout much of India and were always my favorite snakes to find. They have an incredible looking eyes and such a sharp shaped snout.
Rocky Mountain Front Range, Colorado.
I found various snake skins in this area and then found these two snakes. The one on the bottom still had part of its old skin covering its eyes. In drier times, it sometimes is more difficult for the snakes to shed the eye coverings which then give their eyes a blue tinge.
Duckweed (Spirodela polyrrhiza) with some Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta).
Duckweeds, or water lens, are flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as "bayroot," they arose from within the arum or aroid family.
Duckweed can be spread by waterfowl and small mammals, transported inadvertently on their feet and bodies, as well as by moving water. In water bodies with constant currents or overflow, the plants are carried down the water channels and do not proliferate greatly. In some locations, a cyclical pattern driven by weather patterns exists in which the plants proliferate greatly during low water flow periods, then are carried away as rainy periods ensue.
Duckweed is an important high-protein food source for waterfowl and also is eaten by humans in some parts of Southeast Asia. As it contains more protein than soybeans, it is sometimes cited as a significant potential food source. The tiny plants provide cover for fry of many aquatic species. The plants are used as shelter by pond water species such as bullfrogs and bluegills. They also provide shade.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&s...
Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Galapagos Islands
Off The Coast Of Equador
Santa Fe Island
The Barrington Land Iguana or Santa Fe Land Iguana (Conolophus pallidus) is a species of lizard in the Iguanidae family. It is one of three species of Conolophus. It is endemic to Santa Fe Island in the Galapagos.
The Barrington Land Iguana is similar in every detail to the Galapagos Land Iguana except that the Barrington Island Iguana is paler yellow in color with a longer more tapered snout and more pronounced dorsal spines. The Barrington Land Iguana grows to a length of three feet with a body weight of up to twenty-five pounds.
Being cold-blooded, they absorb heat from the sun basking on volcanic rock and at night sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat. These iguanas also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the island's finches; the birds remove parasites and ticks providing relief to the iguana and food for the birds.
Barrington Land iguanas are primarily herbivorous; however, some individuals have shown that they are opportunistic carnivores supplementing their diet with insects, centipedes and carrion. Because fresh water is scarce on the islands it inhabits, the Land Iguana obtains most of its moisture from the prickly-pear cactus that makes up 80% of its diet: fruit, flowers, pads, and even spines.
During the rainy season it will drink from available standing pools of water and feast on yellow flowers of the Genus Portulaca. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. - Source Wikipedia
The Tokay is a large, nocturnal and arboreal lizard species found in Southeast Asia. Known as the pitbulls of the gecko world,you can easily see why...
Santa Fe Island
The Galapagos
Off the Coast of Equador
The Santa Fe land iguana grows to a total length (including tail) of 0.91 m (3 ft) with a body weight of up to 11 kg (25 lb).
Being a cold-blooded reptile, much of the Barrington land iguana's day is spent regulating its body temperature. For many hours this iguana will bask in the sun and then in the midday heat it will retreat to the shade of cactus, rocks or trees. At dusk, the iguana crawls into an underground burrow in order to conserve heat during the cooler nights. While young land iguanas feed primarily on insects and other arthropods, this reptile becomes more herbivorous with age, with adult land iguanas eating mainly Opuntia cacti. They eat both the fruit and the spiny pads of the cacti, often without removing the spines, although they can sometimes be seen scraping the spines off with their claws. The succulent cacti provide the iguana with much needed moisture during the dry months in its arid habitat (6). Adult iguanas supplement this plant diet with some insects, centipedes and carrion. Adult males are territorial and will earn and defend a territory, measuring up to 20 metres across, through direct combat. Facing another male, the iguana will arch its back and swell its body in an attempt to look larger, and then aggressively butt heads, sometimes drawing blood. During the mating season, successful males may mate with up to seven females, each female laying her eggs within the territory of the male. Females dig burrows in the soil, into which they lay a clutch of around 2 to 25 eggs. Three to four months later, the eggs hatch and the young take up to a week to dig themselves out of the nest. Due to predation by hawks, owls, snakes and herons, less than 10 percent of hatchlings survive, but should they survive, land iguanas can live for more than 50 years. A remarkable relationship exists between the Barrington land iguana and the birds of Santa Fe Island; whilst standing high on all four legs, ground finches and mockingbirds move over, around, and under the iguana, plucking ticks and mites from its scaly skin.