Barely 8 days after our last encounter, when moving the couch for a little house-cleaning, we discovered another horned lizard! While a virtual twin of the one we found last weekend, there are slight differences, so this makes another that the cats likely carried in. I was kidding Melinda that a few babies might be next! The lil' ones are so cute!
Since I had Melinda around when capturing this one, she took a few pics with the macro lens while I entertained the fellow. It appeared that this one was cornered at some point - it is obvious that he squirted blood out of his eye, as some varieties are capable of doing to avoid predators - see the Wiki link above for details. We were also able to get a closeup of his lil' toes and toenails, and also demonstrate that when held on their backs with their tummies rubbed, they approach something like a hypnotic trance! True, this one, like the one last week, had a long exposure to the cool temperatures in the house and moved more slowly than if he's been outside.
After a few portraits, he was released in the front of the house and when checked a few minutes later, was nowhere to be found. It remains to be seen if he'll reappear in the future!
totally gross!
ReplyDeletethe lizard is not in a trance like state when put on its back. The lizard CAN NOT BREATHE!!!! they have very delicate lungs and rib cages that are very flimsy. When you lie them on their backs, the weight of their other organs squishes their lungs and suffocates them. they close their eyes because they are struggling to breathe. it may look cute but you are actually harming the lizard.
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