Lizard Love
By Dennis Blauer
11 Apr 2008
A boy growing up in Montana hardly has a chance to appreciate lizards. Oh sure, there's always Reptile Gardens in the Black Hills of South Dakota but you can't capture or hold them there and where's the fun in that? Many young boys (and girls for that matter) can't even imagine life without crawdads, frogs and well, lizards. For me two out of three wasn't bad but i was too ignorant to know better!
Then in '79, my family took a vacation to Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Great Salt Lake where i found, you guessed it, lizards. For the entire rest of our two week vacation, i couldn't be bothered with history, museums, or even super cool rock formations; i just wanted to chase and capture lizards.
Lizards fall squarely in the middle of the food chain. They prey on other creatures and are preyed on as well. They aren't finicky about smaller creatures and just about all of the larger ones will eat them. In a post apocalyptic world, i can easily imagine sating my hunger by eating them; at least in Central Florida, they are quite abundant!
Lizards are fast most of the time but are easily distracted. With a quick hand and lots of practice, they're pretty easy to catch. Another thing to consider when catching them are tails that easily break off and regenerate, a feature medical science sorely envies!
The variety of lizards is astounding! They come in all sizes, shapes, colors and textures. Certain types can kill with toxic saliva, stick to smooth ceilings and walls like Spiderman, change skin color to match moods and camoflauge, swim through water just about as good as fish, squirt blood from eyes, and make our solar panel technology pale by comparison.
These days i live in the land of lizards! -that is to say central Florida. i have zillions around my house and go out of my way to accomodate them. Here then is a photographic appreciation of lizards, including one you may vote one as my Creature theme entry.
1 response
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Vicki Koch said (24 Oct 2008):
They are very cute.
