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  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 1:22 AM

    I've been a little behind on the #LizardReport since I got back to the desert. So much gossip!
    First off, it appears that Cutie, Bill's main squeeze when I left in the spring, is now hanging out with the big male spiny lizard in the backyard that showed up in April. For a while she was rebuffing him in no uncertain terms, but now she seems to be sharing the wood pile out back every morning when I go out there. *ahem*

    There is a small female who, this spring, mostly lived under the chair on the porch. She was always extremely skittish, yet she would also wander around in the house and go into my office when I left the front door open. Well now! She and Bill seem to be getting cozy in the front yard on the big stump.

    Bill has suddenly shown a new level of friendliness, actually hanging out with me on the chair on the porch even after he ate all the mealworms, something Harriet used to do, but never Bill.

    #HerpReport #Lizard

    What does it mean when a lizard winks at you? A large spiny lizard, about 8 inches long nose to tail, sitting on the edge of a chair which is itself covered in a faded red fuzzy blanket. The lizard has his head turned sideways so you see him and left profile, With his eye closed. I never actually seen a lizard wink before. The lizards head is mostly a creamy off-white with some darker stripes. His body is a mix of beige, charcoal, with some scattered yellow scales. He has a darker collar under his neck, that at the moment is nearly black but sometimes changes to blue. If you look closely, each scale comes to a little point, hence the name "spiny lizards." The scientific name is Sceloporus magister.
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Replies

  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 1:32 AM

    In the three years we've known each other, Bill has never sat around on me like this. Earlier this morning, he had a cactus sticker in his face and I was able to get close enough to pluck it and pull it out.

    Bill is a finicky eater, only eating the live mealworms and ignoring the dead ones. But I took a dried crispy dead one in my fingers was able to use it to scrape the salt deposits off of his nostrils without him flinching much. I'm guessing that at first he thought it was weird but then realized that it felt good to have that gone and let me do it.

    Now he's just chilling on my leg. He has never done this before. It might be that my evaporating sweat is cooler than the surrounding air because it's still 100° here in the shade. In the cooler months, Harriet used to sit on my leg like this because I was warm. But I'm also probably kind of cool right now.

    #LizardReport #HerpReport

    A lizard, with course spiny scales, about 8 inches long, sprawled out on my bare leg. The scales are a mix of beige, bluish charcoal and gray with scattered yellow along his flank. He's mostly looking forward but has his head turned slightly back, probably wondering why I am taking so many photos of him.
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  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 1:35 AM

    Well, I guess Bill had enough because he hopped off just now and skittered out to his stump where he is sitting like a little king of the hill. I do most posts using voice to text transcription, so he heard me talking and is looking over here at me, wondering if I have brought more food out. Sorry, bub. Wait till morning.

    The only mealworms I have are the ones that survived in the refrigerator for three months while I was gone, so I'm getting close to being out. I've ordered another 2000 and they should be here later in the week.

    #LizardReport

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  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 1:43 AM

    I saw the zebra tail lizard once when I first got back, but not since and I've seen a couple of baby whiptails. I've seen the tame one only once. It remembered the whistling and came right up and ate out of my hand like it did in the spring.

    So far only one of the iguanas out of four is around. Don, the big one, hasn't been seen. They may have had to disperse a bit to find food or something because the monsoon rains have barely hit here and nothing is really growing yet. No rain equals no plants equals no bugs equals no food.

    #HerpReport #LizardReport

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  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 1:45 AM

    I haven't seen the western diamondback rattlesnake or the gopher snake since I got back. When I go out at night with a spotlight, there are a fair number of small rodents so I'm hoping one of the snakes comes back to eat them.

    I did see a night snake once and the Mediterranean house geckos have obviously had a very good breeding season because there are little baby ones everywhere.

    And last night one of the big Sonoran Desert toads came out after I turned the sprinkler on.

    Well, that's the basics for now. I will definitely keep you all apprised of the reptile soap opera around here.

    #HerpReport #LizardReport

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  • My camera shoots fascistsMikal@sfba.social
    Aug 18, 2026, 2:00 AM

    Bill came back up on the porch, probably because he heard me talking and assumed that I was talking to him and not my phone. Now he's sitting on the threshold above the steps surveying his domain.

    I'm such a fucking simp. I'm going to get up and go get him some more mealworms 😆

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  • NilaJonesNilaJones@zeroes.ca
    Aug 18, 2026, 5:47 AM

    @Mikal

    That's amazing he let you groom him! You must be very gentle and patient, for him to trust you like that

    It would be nice if my cat would take some lessons from Bill

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