A Lizard’s Camouflage

I was attracted to the silhouette of this lizard along the lake and moved in slowly, hoping he wouldn’t dash away before I got the shot. As I examined the photograph later, I discovered the lizard was mostly green, and brown in the tail. I’m guessing now that the lizard had turned green while sitting in the grass, and was in the process of changing to brown to match the rock where it was now sitting.

This large lizard, over a foot long, appears to be changing color from green to brown, starting with its tail. Did you know that this magical quality of lizards inspired the use of “camouflage” uniforms for the military?

Gator Camouflage

Wearing “camo” is in. Especially if you are an alligator and hunt for food in the wild. Alligators floating in the swamp have a natural advantage, because they resemble floating logs, and they are silent and often still. Unsuspecting fish, birds and even people swim or walk by, in close range.

This 14-foot American Alligator seen at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was cruising Lettuce Lakes early Sunday morning, beneath the nest of three Anhinga chicks. He took on a new “camo” outfit as the plants adhered to his back.

I had to move quickly to capture this image of a large alligator from the safety of a boardwalk over the swamp.