Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Saurus Siblings

I couldn't get a single bird photo today. Some heavy dust clouds rolled into Phoenix and blocked out the sun around 5:00 pm--I guess that's our version of a rainy day.
It seems like an appropriate time to post some miscellaneous pictures of cold-blooded critters one might also find scurrying around the Sonoran Desert.

These Chuckwallas can easily span 14 inches in length. While they are not threatening to people, they are one of the upper echelon predators out here, at least as far as lizards go. Their latin name is Sauromalus Obesus, which seems to mean something like 'mean fat lizard'. I think that sums it up pretty well.


With no size to his advantage, this Ornate Tree Lizard relies on quickness and camouflage to win meals and escape predators. I don't know this scientific name, perhaps something like, "slendicus blendicus"