End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARDS

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brick911
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End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARDS

Post by brick911 »

(Copied from theme #1... See below for theme #5 guidelines)

Hey guys,

I have a list of different threads I'm gonna start, spreading them out every few days. Each one will have a different theme. I would appreciate if you'd follow the rules (more like guidelines) just to keep it fun. eg. Ya know how people put up "Post your favorite picture of the year" threads, and people HAVE to put up like three pictures. Let's pay attention and try to stick to the rules. As winter creeps in, I will keep starting new threads and we can have fun with this while we look out the window at the leafless trees with tears in our eyes. If you have any ideas, feel free to PM me. Of course, I don't care if you start your own "themed" thread, but I was taking it upon myself to plan out these threads over the next few weeks as I have seen the forum die off along with the herping. *Don't let these "End of the Year" threads have any effect on any end of the year summary posts y'all were planning on doing. These will all have specific themes. I'm also hoping this will bring some of the non-posters out of the woodwork to share a photo or two. (You know who you are.). It's an opportunity to just share photos with peers, despite our herping/conservational differences. I don't mean to call you guys out and mean no offense. Just think about sharing here and there if you can with sound mind. I look forward to everyone's posts. Let's make this fun because its getting boring outside!

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Theme 6: Lizards

1. Go back through your finds over the year and review your lizards. Out of the area lizards are welcomed, as are our regional lizards... but ya know - there just ain't that many around here so feel free to add in some variety if you've traveled.

2. Post your favorite three lizard shots. This is up to you how you would like to do it. It can be three of the same lizard, or one each of three different lizards. Let your year's experience determine how you post.

3. Give some kind of explanation as to why you chose what you chose... eg. I thought this broadhead was a five-line... I don't care if the picture sucks, or... This iguana ate right out of my hand on Miami Beach, or... my depth of field was perfect on this S. lateralis profile. You get the idea.

4. If you only have one pic that you deem worthwhile, then please feel free... The max is three. There is no minimum.

Who's first to leap...
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incuhead2000
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by incuhead2000 »

Wow I so don't herp for lizards, the things I realize looking at my photos.

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I assume these would count as lizards....kinda....sorta...not really...whatever here is an Alligator.
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sstaedtler
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by sstaedtler »

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A couple broad-headed skinks and an Italian Wall Lizard.
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cbernz
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by cbernz »

I can't even remember the last time I photographed a New Jersey lizard.

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Florida Scrub Lizard. Why'd I choose this photo? Because I didn't find a Sand Skink or a Mole Skink, and I don't want to take up space on my pbase account with another crappy anole photo.

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Desert Night Lizard from Arizona. I'm a soft Easterner. When I'm walking alone at night along a dirt road in the Arizona mountains, most of my attention is focussed on worrying about the cougar that is going to leap 30 feet off a boulder and chew on my head. I was thrilled to find this, my first night lizard, and it distracted me from my fear for a couple minutes. Then I pretty much high-tailed it back to the car.
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MarcLinsalata
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by MarcLinsalata »

Lizards were never a favorite of mine in NJ - they were always kind of just there. There's a fence lizard - oh look there's another one. I'll take a pic if I'm bored. I pretty much carried those feelings over with me to Cali. Every once in awhile I would take notice and maybe snap a pic. This year was different as I was out a lot more looking for snakes. One afternoon with Holly we were walking around looking for boas when I giant lizard just bolted away from me. I said, "Wow that thing was fast" and tried to pursue it to no avail. Soon, I became obsessed with getting pics of lizards. At first not necessarily because of what they were but because it was hard to get a pic of them. Then it became fun because they were easier to find but it was hard to get that pic which became the game. Then I was immersed in finding different kinds of lizards because they weren't ALWAYS there and some were only found in certain habitats and some were lightning fast and you either got a pic of them from far or had to surprise them and get that pic quick. Anyway, 3 is hard to narrow down when I think my lizard lifer list topped off between probably 15-20 this year but here are 3 random ones.........

This was my first lifer of the year. These are pretty common and gigantic!! Getting a pic of one of them out in the open is fun, otherwise most of my pics were them wedged in between cracks of rocks this year. Chuckwalla, Riverside County.....
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On a day when I was chasing desert iguanas all day to get pics I came upon a bush that had about three of them hanging out. Desert iguanas are big and awesome but they will usually run away from you, check you out, then run into a hole if they think you are up to no good. This one just froze in its tracks, however. I said, "Oh, look this one is friendly" and got close enough for a pic then realized it was actually a Longnose Leopard lizard hanging out with the iguanas. This was one of only two I think I saw all year....
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This was not a lifer for me this year but spiny lizards are my favorite lizard in Cali. Why? I don't know. They like big rocks and are usually found high up on them and some will let you get a pic but usually they crawl into a crack before you get a chance to photo them. Anyway, we were driving down a random road through some hills one day early in the year and there was random trash on the side of the road including a piece of plywood. Ooooohhhhhhhh, hold on let me check that out!! I pulled over to flip this board to find this huge orange and yellow and green Granite Spiny (my pics do no animal justice considering I don't have a high quality camera - sorry). I had never flipped one and I was trying to cover it with my hands to get a picture. Somehow, it managed to run up my arm and down the back of my shirt. I was screaming "Holly!! Holly!!" to get her out of the car (where she of course remained) and had to walk all hunch backed about 25 yards to the car (where the passing cars all slowed down to look at me in bewilderment) so she could get a picture of this guy...........
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Please enjoy your tequila responsibly......... :beer: :beer:
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MarcLinsalata
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by MarcLinsalata »

Hey Cbernz, you should worry less about cougars out here and more about Border Patrol swarming down on you to ask you 30 times if you're an American citizen and what the hell you're up to.......
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cbernz
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by cbernz »

MarcLinsalata wrote:Hey Cbernz, you should worry less about cougars out here and more about Border Patrol swarming down on you to ask you 30 times if you're an American citizen and what the hell you're up to.......
Hehe, probably true. This was like 120 miles from the border, though. To tell the truth, if I were out in the middle of nowhere and got swarmed by a bunch of guys, I would be thrilled to find out they were border patrol and not criminals.

Way jealous of your Chuckwallas and Leopards.
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mike h
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by mike h »

Living in Massachusetts, we don't get to see lizards too often. Our native lizard species? None.

So, we visited my Mom in North Carolina in April. She lives just a stones throw from the Croatan. Her house is at least good for Green Anoles!

My nephew had cleaned out her little stone pool a few years ago and said he saw Glass Lizards in her yard. Suuuuure you did! Frankly, I never believed him. Glass Lizards are one of those mythical creatures of yore to me. I knew I'd never see one because they're only in books, right?

Well, in April, guess what Andrea flipped in my Mom's backyard?!!
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DSCN4118 by ZantiMissKnit, on Flickr

Ophisaurus ventralis!

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DSCN4117 by ZantiMissKnit, on Flickr

Needless to say, this guy was one of my year's highlights!

In other lizard news, common though they may be, I'm absolutely chuffed about this Green Anole shot I got, also in NC!
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DSCN4217 by ZantiMissKnit, on Flickr
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ThatFrogGuy
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

I'm bad at catching lizards, so it was nice to catch a hatchling and get some nice posed shots.
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Five Lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr

Fence lizards are always fun.
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Northern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr

I'm calling it a lizard.
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American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr
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incuhead2000
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by incuhead2000 »

ThatFrogGuy wrote:I'm bad at catching lizards, so it was nice to catch a hatchling and get some nice posed shots.
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Five Lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr

Fence lizards are always fun.
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Northern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr

I'm calling it a lizard.
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American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr
Most excellent...thanks for joining me and my gator lizard!
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ZantiMissKnit
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

This is one of my favorite photos from our trip to visit Mike's mom in NC. Her husband has some land with a creek that comes off the Neuse River, and it has lots of opportunity to find herps. The mornings were very cool, and we found squirrel tree frogs, green anoles, and five-lined skinks under cover.

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Anoles are EVERYWHERE in eastern NC (Mike's mom said she has found a few in her kitchen this week!). This one thought he was properly camouflaged.

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We found this ground skink swimming in a small stream. We also found a ribbon snake nearby, making me wonder if the skink was trying to escape.

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kyle loucks
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Re: End of the Year 2012, Let's Keep it Going... #6 - LIZARD

Post by kyle loucks »

North Carolina... guess the species.

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My favorite lizard find was this five lined skink... a Pa state record for the county.
Nice little population discovered...

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