black widow vs lizard

The black widow won

 

I spotted this in my garage beneath the wheelbarrow. 

The black widow was sucking on the lizard's stomach. 

My movement caused the black widow to move above the lizard.  

The lizard was suspended mid-air about 4 inches off the ground. 

 

I measured him at 12 inches

latest victim by Toby

stunning blue

surprise....another lizard picture

Lizards seem to be running this blog lately, but yet you keep coming back for more.....

on the back patio

little blue neck bought the farm

Let that be a lesson.  Don't show yourself in front of my dog or you'll be sorry. 

casting a long shadow in the afternoon

What's been in the garage (part 2)?

This laid out for about 6 months in the corner of the garage and we managed to "catch" a lizard, a scorpion, a nice sized spider or two, some crickets and various other small bugs.  YUM!

lizard convention

I took this pic through the window from the inside of my house.  Three's a party.   

Blue Neck and Ribs

My nephew caught this guy in my garage. 

Check out the blue on him. 

So vivid.

Horny Toad

Despite the name it's not a toad, it's a lizard. 

It has a distinctive flat-body with a row of fringed scales down the sides and horns on the head.  It's shape reminded me of a turtle because of the round body and head.  This one, from head to tail, was less than two inches long.  Tiny and adorable!  He made a tiny little squeak noise when I got too close. Their favorite food is ants but they will also eat slow moving beetles, spiders, and some plant material.  These lizards mate in the spring and lay 2-16 eggs in June or July, which hatch in August.

They are generally a gentle species, but have been known to try to push their cranial spines into the hand while held. If provoked, they hiss and threaten to bite. When excited, they puff themselves up with air, making themselves look bigger. 

The giant "bolders" next to this lizard are bunny poop. 

That should give you an idea of his size.

And here's the kicker: if threatened, they have been known to squirt blood from their eyes as far as 5 feet as a deterent to cats and dogs.

the bite

snake eating lizard

 We found this at the gate.  I decided to let the snake live but to move it farther away from the house.  While using a rake to shoo the snake away, I found out that snakes find it difficult to move with prey in their mouth.  After more encouragement from me to move, the snake regurgitated the lizard and quickly slithered off.  Meanwhile the lizard lay still and bloody on the driveway.  I went to scoop up the fellow to toss him away and suddenly he moved.  I helped him to the grass and he recovered enough to run away. 
Can you imagine being half dead in a snakes mouth then to be pulled out and survive?

There's always somebody hangin' 'round the house

Aligator Lizard

A few months ago I looked down in the yard and thought I saw a small snake.  I took a closer look and noticed this snake had legs!  I couldn't believe the size of this lizard so I grabbed my measuring tape and camera.  He measured in at 14 inches. 

He was a bit lethargic, not reacting to me getting close until I was about to poke him to see if he was still alive and suddenly he took off like a bolt of lightening.  I looked for pics on the internet and figured out that he is a California Aligator Lizard.  Here's some facts I found out about him:  Alligator lizards sport a flat, wedge-shaped head.  The legs are small, thin, and end in five fine toes.  Their scales are large for lizards which is what gives them the name of Aligator Lizards. Their color is pale to medium brown with darker crossbands. They shed in one piece, like a snake.  Generally they eat snails, other lizards, eggs or small birds.  I did find out that they can be fearless in self defense and will bite.  Pretty cool........