| Lizard Pushups? | |
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We've got lizards. Lizards galore. Little ones and big ones. They disappear during the cool winter months, but they are out in all their finest colors during the hot spring, summer, and autumn months. The little ones scurry here-and-there, from rock to cactus to crevasse. These include young zebratail lizards and some skinks. The larger ones are the most fascinating, and amusing as well. We've seen them eat entire honeysuckle flowers just to get a juicy bug. We've seen them face off with a young desert cottontail (for no apparent reason). The thing we most enjoy is watching the lizards do pushups! It may sound odd, but they do it quite frequently. It seems to be both a mating and a territorial behavior; sometimes there are no other lizards in sight when the pushups occur, and other times another lizard is within plain view. They usually occur when the lizard is on top of a rock or wall, at a point where s/he has a plain view of the surroundings (and the surroundings have a plain view of it). Lizard pushups involve an up-and-down movement of the forelimbs. They sometimes include a "headbob" and/or an up-and-down movement of the rear limbs as well. Sometimes the pushups come in rapid succession, like a Marine might execute for a drill sergeant. One can see the little lizard biceps flexing in the sunlight. While the lizard's body is in the "up" position, it is much easier to view their gorgeous colorings of turquoise throat and underbelly and yellow neckbands. "Look at me, I'm a hunka hunka burnin' lizard!" And, "Hey! You! Get offa my wall!" (Apologies to both Elvis and Mick Jagger.) | explain this to me | Next: Sphinx Suicide |
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