My camera shoots fascistsFinally got a video of the zebra tailed lizard. It came back and took the mealworm a moment later. Flicking their tail like that is very characteristic of them. This one is still a bit skittish but eventually takes worms from my hand.
Just look at this handsome critter! These desert iguanas are my favorite of the yard lizards. I think today it was a little spooked by the bright blue Band-Aid on my thumb.
Unfortunately I have to leave for California soon so I won't be around to see how tame it will get. But this is the third year it's been around, so hopefully it'll still be here in August when I get back.
I always whistle when feeding the lizards, at least when first training them. Some don't seem to care much and respond more to me kneeling down and putting my hand on the ground. Others will just come up to me looking for food. A couple of the spiny lizards (including the one I think is Bill from last fall) will run across the yard if I whistle. I think this iguana will eventually respond to whistling.
One thing I'm really curious about is whether they are making the humans=food association with me personally or with anyone. Once one of them gets really tame, I'll have someone else try to get close or call them over.
(hashtagging these with #LizardReport so you can mute them if you get tired of me posting lizard pictures and videos 😂)
Today's #LizardReport
Everybody was present and fed well with mealworms that I brought from Tucson when I went there for the protest yesterday, except for the big iguana. He was nowhere to be seen today.
The little tiger whiptail saw me, came running across the yard, grabbed a couple worms, then jumped up on me. It was climbing around on my shoulders and my head and was quite content to let me hold it. Adorable little creature.
(I've tried to keep all these lizard posts as a thread, but it seems to have broken up.)
#LizardReport
Bill, or at least the one I'm calling Bill because I'm not 100% sure it's the same one as last fall, came over and I made him climb up on my leg to get fed. I wanted to get a close look at his face. It turns out he seems to have some glochids stuck next to his eye. Look close at his left eye. Glochids are those tiny hair like micro thorns some cactus having an abundance. I have a patch of Opuntia microdasys and they are fuzzy with glochids, but no thorns.
I debated grabbing him and tweezering the spines out but I was afraid it would spook him and he would never be my friend again. If they're still there tomorrow, I may do it because I'm about to leave for a few months anyway.
Poor Bill!
Their personalities are so funny. The tiny little baby spiny lizard that lives on the wall will run right up to me to take worms but there's a slightly bigger one, that at first I thought might be Harriet, at the far end of the wall that runs away when I get within 30 feet.
The whiptail is super friendly and will climb all over me, while Bill will hang out nearby and climb on me to get fed, but always jumps down and hangs out a few feet away.
I got the zebra tail lizard to climb up on my leg and take worms, but only very hesitantly and it would immediately jump down with the worm and runoff to eat it.
I really hope they're all here when I get back in August. Such an adorable little menagerie.
Suzanne Aldrich (she/her)@Mikal omg they are so cute I love them look at all their cute personalities. They are like little scaly dogs.
It's true!
I'm going to miss them so much. I really hope the iguana will stay around. I want to convince it to hang out on the porch with me. Or maybe Harriet will show back up.