Triumphant Return of the Bossy Lizard!

[Mike B in OKlahoma]

This is the same lizard I posted yesterday. I definitely like this pose better, though it lacks the Arthur Morris-ish background! I had to use Gaussian Blur to get the background even this good....

I believe this is a Brown Anole, also known as a Cuban Brown Anole. It is actually an invasive species, coming from Cuba and the Bahamas. They are a serious competitive threat to the resident local lizards, and are crowding them out in many areas. This shows much more clearly how he has lost his tail and regrown it, and he is still flashing his dewlap to tell me he is dominant!

Shot on Gumbo Limbo Trail, Everglades National Park, with a 180mm lens about three weeks ago.

[Ken Ramos]

Yep that looks like an autotomonous tail aw'right. Some lizards can snap that tail off with sharp contractions of the muscels. I read somewhere they do that to distract predators. While the predator is considering the wriggling of the broken tail, the lizard makes its escape. Also the tail never grows back the same color or pattern. Makes sense I guess when you are just going to leave it lying around somewhere else for something to look at.

Really a nice shot here Mike, well done!

[JoanYoung]

Nice shot Mike. I like this one better than the first.
Ken you are right, most lizards can loose their tails for exactly that reason.

[Ken Ramos]

Yep, almost lost mine a time or two

[JoanYoung]

Ken

Yep, almost lost mine a time or two

Funny man!!

[Bruce Williams]

Classic pose - you've done a neat job with the Gaussiam Blur Mike - really makes the subject stand out.

Bruce

[beetleman]

I like this one better than the other also. Closer and more personal.