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Post by Ranger Parsec on Mar 31, 2005 14:25:21 GMT -5
These are photos I took of the first wild lizard I've ever seen. He was high up on a mountain, where I was hiking. Good thing I had my digital camera on hand. . . Before seeing this last summer, I never even thought reptiles liked the Rocky Mountains (especially at this elevation), but here this little guy was. He was sitting in the open beside the trail, sunning himself. The problem is, my camera doesn't have a zoom lens, so I had to get in really really close (carefully and quietly of course) to get halfway decent pics like these. Any closer and he would have bolted. However, funnily enough, this little lizard stood still for a few minutes, looking warily at the camera just long enough for me to snap these pics. Lucky for me, I think he was as curious of me as I was of him. I didn't try to catch him, though. I didn't want to risk him losing his tail or getting hurt in any way (he's so small! Probably only 5 or 6 inches from nose to tail). He's a wild animal, anyways, so shooting him with a camera was all I did.
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Post by Mirage on Mar 31, 2005 14:34:11 GMT -5
Awesome!! Nice pics. I've seen some pretty cool wildlife, too, over the years, when I visited northern New Jersey and other states. (It's not that interesting around here.) I found a snake the last time I was up there playing around in the woods. He was pretty small, too, and didn't seem to mind me observing him. Wish I'd had a camera.
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 31, 2005 14:39:50 GMT -5
Great pics! That's a Western Fence Swift, in case you were wondering what kind he is. Their Eastern cousins are very common here where I live. The males have these bright blue bellies. They make good pets, taming down quite quickly with gentle handling, but you're right about the tails-they DO break off easily. They will grow back, but not as good as before. Cute little guys, aren't they?
pitbulllady
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Post by Ranger Parsec on Mar 31, 2005 15:33:01 GMT -5
Thanks Mirage! Great pics! That's a Western Fence Swift, in case you were wondering what kind he is. Their Eastern cousins are very common here where I live. The males have these bright blue bellies. They make good pets, taming down quite quickly with gentle handling, but you're right about the tails-they DO break off easily. They will grow back, but not as good as before. Cute little guys, aren't they? pitbulllady So that's what species it was! I know I looked it up before, but I had forgotten. Thanks for reminding me, somehow I knew you'd know what it was immediately. lol. Very nice, healthy looking specimen. And cute? Yeah, totally. I just wanted to sit there and watch him, but he scurried off pretty quickly after I took a couple of pics. ^_^
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Beboots
Randall's Head Servant (300-799)
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a plague in Equatorial Guinea that I have to attend.
Posts: 646
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Post by Beboots on Mar 31, 2005 17:29:59 GMT -5
Man, you are so lucky to have seen this guy. I'm so glad you had your camera (you're right; he is cute!). The only reptiles I've seen in the wild have been garden snakes.
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Post by tailmister on Mar 31, 2005 21:38:09 GMT -5
Nice Photos. Nature sure is cool isn't it?
To me, everytime I see a male duck (ones with a green head and all that), its almost like seeing one for the first time.
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Post by RandallBoggs on Mar 31, 2005 21:52:37 GMT -5
I think I've seen a black snake when I went to our mountain range...... OH! And a.....it's a sorta tan snake....I saw it at some kind of function where a yard sale was going on....I don't know exactly what it was....fundraiser maybe... Nice pics
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 31, 2005 23:19:00 GMT -5
Were they selling the snake or was it just in the yard? Bet THAT created some interesting situations! I guess I'm lucky in that I get to find several snakes each spring and summer, and even found a really confused Corn snake this past December, during a warm spell two days before Christmas. It's been too cool and too darn wet to find anything lately though. Some friends of mine, who are professional snake catchers(people actually pay them to go on snake-catching expeditions and to remove snakes from their property when they end up in houses and such), haven't found much, besides a couple of baby Cottonmouths and a Black Racer or two, which is odd for this time of year. I haven't seen a single wild snake yet this spring, not even road kills, though I have had another dog get bitten by a venomous one, probably a Copperhead.
pitbulllady
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Post by lizardgirl on Apr 1, 2005 4:36:03 GMT -5
Wow, what a beautiful lizard! It's lovely when they just sit there, fascinated by you as you are of him. He looks lovely. ;D
I've seen a chameleon in the wil (not in England- on holiday in Malta) and a few other common types of lizards and snakes, but nothing special. I don't think I've ever seen a wild reptile here in England though. ;D
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Post by RandallBoggs on Apr 1, 2005 10:49:28 GMT -5
Well.... The black one was wild, up in the mountains. Slithered by me actually, seemed in a hurry or something. The tan one seemed to have a trainer. It was inside a building, kids were there petting it. I got to too.
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Post by lizardgirl on Apr 1, 2005 10:53:48 GMT -5
Awww. ;D
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Post by Ranger Parsec on Apr 1, 2005 14:10:21 GMT -5
Well.... The black one was wild, up in the mountains. Slithered by me actually, seemed in a hurry or something. The tan one seemed to have a trainer. It was inside a building, kids were there petting it. I got to too. Aww. That's pretty cool you got to pet it.
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Post by Light Rises on Apr 1, 2005 18:11:45 GMT -5
I know other people have said this, but I'll say it anyway: "Awww!" What a cutie! And it's wonderful how well he camouflages into the forest ground around him. *another reason why having a digital camera with you wherever you go is such a good idea, lol* ;D Thank you so much for sharing! Aww. That's pretty Lizard-girl you got to pet it. Erm...me thinks someone's been messing with the censor thingie again. XD ~Light Rises
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Post by RandallBoggs on Apr 1, 2005 22:33:19 GMT -5
Huh Joy? Same here LR....
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Post by lizardgirl on Apr 3, 2005 4:16:43 GMT -5
And I think it's gone back to normal again.
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