My camera shoots fascists4d ago

Well, today's lizard report had some surprises. I didn't see Bill or Donna all day but I fed Cutie in the morning Then Don/Donna's apparent girlfriend, the very light colored iguana and the other one, with the regrowing tail, both hung out with me on the wall.

The fourth iguana, a medium sized adult, took some worms I tossed to it and then skedaddled to the backyard scrap lumber pile where it lives, along with Cutie and the tiger whiptail.

The furthest one away in the photo is the very pale one that I'm calling Don/Donna's girlfriend. Note the regrowing tail tip on the closest one. It doesn't have the spots or banding of its original tail.

#LizardReport #Lizards #HerpReport

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists

The zebra tailed lizard is being very skittish this year. It'll take worms if I throw them a couple feet away but I haven't got it to eat out of my hand yet like last year. The short little video shows it waving it's distinctly zebra striped tail, indicating that it is feeling uncomfortable and sees me as a potential threat.

To a potential predator, the tail is a big flashy distraction that will break off easily if something were to bite it. When the lizards are comfortable, they will keep their tail down so that they blend into their surroundings better.

#LizardReport #Lizard #HerpReport

May 4 at 3:02amWeb
Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

While I was sitting on the low wall feeding the light colored iguana, the other one heard me whistling, which I do all the time while feeding them to reinforce the connection, and came across the yard. I held a mealworm up at the edge of the wall and tried to get its attention, but it just kept nipping at my toes instead.

The spiny lizards, like Bill and Cutie, regularly nip at my fingers and toes if I run out of worms, but this is the first time an iguana has done it.

#LizardReport #Lizard #Iguana #HerpReport

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

The tiger whiptail seems to live in the scrap lumber pile by the back door and doesn't seem to get up till sometime after noon. If I go out and whistle for it, it'll come up to be fed. It is amazingly comfortable sitting in my hand.

#LizardReport #Lizard #HerpReport

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

This afternoon I was planting some cactus in the front yard and I saw the big gopher snake again, slithering along the wall…

"Gopher snake"... um... then I saw the black and white striped tail and the rattles as it emerged from behind a cactus. Another western diamondback rattlesnake!

I got my camera with the telephone lens and got a bunch of close-ups, then went back to get my snake stick and a bucket. Unfortunately the critter was behind a very spiny hedgehog cactus and pulling it out would have potentially hurt it, so I let it get away into the rock pile.

I continued about my work, and then saw it a little while later over under the pomegranate tree. Then a few minutes later I didn't see it. It's out there somewhere 🤷‍♂️

Given that I don't have to get under the house to do any work anytime soon, I'm not gonna worry about it.

I'll just think of it like inspector Clouseau's manservant Cato, there to keep me on my toes.

#LizardReport #Rattlesnake #snek #HerpReport #NoStepOnSnek

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

This is the second rattlesnake in my yard in a few weeks, plus the one I relocated from my neighbor's yard. I've never seen one in my yard before though I've seen a couple on this block relatively close.

What I'm guessing is that this is actually a normal number of rattlesnakes, but I am seeing them now because I'm usually not here in early May, plus we had that bizarre heat wave in late March, which probably woke all the snakes up and brought them out of hibernation early. This is also probably why it feels like there are far more lizards than I've ever seen here before. I usually have to leave by late April and it's usually not this hot yet.

The fact that we had an extremely dry winter and there's virtually no annual vegetation growing anywhere probably also contributes. No plants means no flowers which means no seeds which means no food for rodents, so I'm guessing that snakes probably have to wander much further to try to find a meal.

#Rattlesnake #HerpReport #LizardReport #snek

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago
If you follow my #LizardReport hashtag, you've already seen Cutie and Bill and Donna many times. Add to them all these little lizard frens today and you can see why I am so enamored of them. They're the most adorable little characters.
Show threadⒶ Consciousness Revolutions 🏴4d ago
@Mikal reminds me of a wisdom that I encountered a long time ago in a book about snakes: "Snakes are where you find them."
Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

@shimon

If this were 20 internet years ago, I might reply with "In soviet desert, snake finds you."

Show threadNilaJones4d ago

@Mikal

I have a friend who keeps pet lizards

One time one of them escaped and set up residence under the kitchen stove. It liked the pilot light, and lived there for years

My friend's wife was not happy with the situation, because of the toe biting

Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

@NilaJones

It just wanted to be fed! They only nip at your toes when they want your attention.

Show threadsaarmuller4d ago
@Mikal Near the end you wiggle your big toe and it seems to react to that!
Show threadMy camera shoots fascists4d ago

@saarmuller

I shortened it just for ease of uploading, but it goes along and makes the rounds on the rest of my toes for another 20 seconds. It finally figured out that the worms were up above on the wall and climbed up there.