I think it's fair to say I post rather frequently about our #featheredfriends, and recently posted about our furry friends... so of course, I couldn't let our #scalyfriends without a post as well!
Reptiles are such amazing creatures! I know, not all reptiles have scales; but that is the case in the squamata order, where lizards belong, and this post is all about lizards!
I was thinking of doing an "around the word" series, but as I started gathering photos, the first country had enough material for what I wanted, and the brown basilisk on the first photo is just a sample of all the amazing creatures I saw on what is the top 1 on my travel list: Costa Rica!
Basiliscus vittatus, the cousin of the more known green basilisk, appeared in my front during a hiking trail in Tortuguero national park, between curious and unhappy about my presence in his realm.
I can understand, really: I went full papparazzi mode when I saw him! I knew the country had a lot of reptiles, but most of them are quite elusive, so I was preparing myself not to see that many species, and this cutie was just one of the many surprises I had!
The only thing that saddens me a bit is that my reptile identification skills are waaaaaay behind my bird ones, so I still couldn't identify everything I saw. By the shape of the head and body, I guess this is some kind of gecko, but can't tell for sure. I did saw him again, with his lunch.
Not that far from him, another lizard with a peculiar face was staring at me.
Again uncertainty; probably an anole, a lizard from the Anolis genus, that comprises a lot of different species; which one... well, any specialist out there willing to guess?
How about this one? Couldn't get that close to take a proper full detailed photo, but he sure was clinging to that branch!
All of these were photographed in the eastern part of the country, on the atlantic side. It was a blessing to see so many species, and there were so much more to feature. But my favourite sighting? The "cousin" from the cutie in the first photo.
The green basilisk, Basiliscus plumifrons, is likely one of my favourite lizard species. I didn't saw him running on water, but here he was, basking on a tree trunk, watching the river flow by. Simply stunning!
Our national reptiles are not as flashy as the Costa Rica ones, but I'll be sure to gather them for a future post!
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