Local Wildlife...
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auntbijouFor kath_ballantyne, who has asked me before to get pictures of these very shy lizards.
I was sitting at the computer, staring listlessly at the screen, and saw movement outside out of the corner of my eye. This is not unusual. Sometimes, squirrels come up on the porch to dig in the flower pots, sometimes birds land on the couch outside to taunt the cats ("Na-Na-Na, you can't catch me!!"). But sometimes, it's something really interesting.
This guy is a juvenile. No, really. His head isn't as big as its going to get, trust me. Anyway, this is a young Texas Spiny Lizard, who decided to sun itself on the arm of the couch, but really couldn't relax enough to actually do it.
Pretty, isn't he... she... it?? Darn critter wouldn't turn its head, though, no matter how many mental, "Look this way, please!!" commands I sent. It'll get bigger, and it's head will widen a bit, it'll get some.. spiky sort of frills at the... jowls? *rolls eyes* What I find so funny is the lady who lived here before us kept insisting they were "horny toads." I frowned and said, "No, the head isn't the right shape, and it doesn't have horns..."
"It's a Horny Toad!" she insisted, and I backed off. I wanted to buy her house; if she wanted to call it a Horny Toad, fine, she could call it a Horny Toad all she wanted. I knew better, having actually seen the little buggers when I was a kid. Sheesh.
Anyway, Kath, there you go. I'll try to keep a lookout for an adult. Perhaps one will come in the house again and hiss at me while I actually have a camera in my hand!
kath_ballantyne, who has asked me before to get pictures of these very shy lizards.I was sitting at the computer, staring listlessly at the screen, and saw movement outside out of the corner of my eye. This is not unusual. Sometimes, squirrels come up on the porch to dig in the flower pots, sometimes birds land on the couch outside to taunt the cats ("Na-Na-Na, you can't catch me!!"). But sometimes, it's something really interesting.
This guy is a juvenile. No, really. His head isn't as big as its going to get, trust me. Anyway, this is a young Texas Spiny Lizard, who decided to sun itself on the arm of the couch, but really couldn't relax enough to actually do it.
Pretty, isn't he... she... it?? Darn critter wouldn't turn its head, though, no matter how many mental, "Look this way, please!!" commands I sent. It'll get bigger, and it's head will widen a bit, it'll get some.. spiky sort of frills at the... jowls? *rolls eyes* What I find so funny is the lady who lived here before us kept insisting they were "horny toads." I frowned and said, "No, the head isn't the right shape, and it doesn't have horns..."
"It's a Horny Toad!" she insisted, and I backed off. I wanted to buy her house; if she wanted to call it a Horny Toad, fine, she could call it a Horny Toad all she wanted. I knew better, having actually seen the little buggers when I was a kid. Sheesh.
Anyway, Kath, there you go. I'll try to keep a lookout for an adult. Perhaps one will come in the house again and hiss at me while I actually have a camera in my hand!
