This snake just saw someone on an Internet forum complaining that oil for his brand new $30,000 car cost $22 per quart.
Category Archives: Reptile
Western Banded Gecko Coleonyx variegatus)
Wakes up in the middle of the night and wishes there was a name for the sort that dream that isn’t a nightmare, but whose happiness and joy leave one saddened and mournful because waking life can never, and will never, compare.
Peru 2015 – Snake
In order to see the animals, their process is to hire locals to bring the animals to us as we walked through the jungle. This approach puts money into the local economy, teaches locals to better appreciate their natural resources, and speeds up the process. It does not, however, create a lot of good photo opportunities.
Peru 2015 – Iguana
In Peru there are iguanas just wandering about doing their little iguana things.
Kinda like squirrels here, actually.
But slower.
And less likely to eat all your birdseed.
Peru 2015 – Caiman
This was taken at night with the assistance of a flash unit. It’s a bit too on-axis for my taste, but there was little maneuverability in a skiff so you have to take when you can get.
Bearded Dragon (Pogona)
It had taken weeks to craft, working in secret every night when all others had fled to their burrows to hide from the night. It had taken months to gather the gems, and years to discover the potions and master the technique of melting the gems together. But at long last, the globe was done. Tonight, he would finally rest.
Tomorrow, he would risk it all, and try to steal fire from the sun.
Emerald Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus)
Sometimes lizards get their scaling efforts mixed up.
Peru 2015 – Snake
Snakes have *really* strong muscles. Here, it was being held by the tail by a local guide and it took exception to the gentleman with the camera. It moved a little quick for my focus, but I think the shot is decent nonetheless.
Ridleys Beauty Snake (Orthriophis taeniurus ridleyi)
See? This is what happens when you treat reptiles like art.
And the snake must like it’s little pet sculpture, as it doesn’t have to climb it. It chose to do that.
Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
It takes a lot of effort to train a crocodile but in the end, when they stand still for the saddle, it’s worth it.
Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae)
Now all wyrms collect gold.
Agama
OK. This one is going to take a bit of explanation.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is located in the mountains outside of Colorado Springs. In the Western US, there has been a tendency for people to treat all snakes as if they were venomous and to treat all reptiles as if they were snakes. So there is a lot of unnecessary killing.
So the zoo decided to take a very different approach in their reptile house. The entire thing is set up like an artist’s loft, with the reptiles in terrariums chosen to complement their colours and textures. The idea is that by getting people to view them outside of the normal environment, people will see them as something that is interesting and beautiful, not scary.
The cost of this approach, of course, is that they are objectifying the animals, potentially making them something less than a living creature (depending on one’s perspective). There is also an argument that not being kept in a natural environment will harm them somehow. However, many of the reptile keepers I’ve spoken with suggest that our desire to see reptiles in “natural exhibits” is us forcing a mammal-centric perspective upon species to which it does not apply.
After thinking on the issue for a while, I don’t think I would feel comfortable running a reptile house in the same way, but I can appreciate the aesthetics of the approach and the animals do not seem to have been harmed.
And, in the end, the pictures are rather striking.
Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
Crocodiles evolved to have all the bits that need air above the water because the ones that didn’t do that became fish.
Peru 2015 – Caiman
I guess when you eat dirty fish your entire life, mud doesn’t taste quite so bad.
Peru 2015 – Caiman
The caimans come out at night, mostly. This was early evening, so this one must have been an early riser.
Peru 2015 – Turtles
This photo was taken at a manatee rescue center. As you can (hopefully) tell, these are not actually manatees. They do other work there too … like turtle counting.
Blue Tongued Skink
It can be difficult to select the proper mix of dried herbs when preparing a dish. This is why the most discerning chefs use taste testers.
Snake
When you don’t focus on them, snakes can be very sparkley.
Snake
Question mark snakes follow the Coriolis effect.
In North America, they look like: ?
In South America, they look like: ¿
Near the equator, the effect is smaller and both marks are used.