Leapin Lizards
by John Telfer
Title
Leapin Lizards
Artist
John Telfer
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
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While at the Bronx Zoo, located in the Bronx, New York I was in the Congo section of the zoo when I came across this quite long Lizard as I was trying to get a nice angle shot on him he just kept coming forward and stopped. I photographed him immediately before he would move again since I had such a perfect detailed head shot. Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with more than 5600 species,[1] ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group, traditionally recognized as the suborder Lacertilia, is defined as all extant members of the Lepidosauria (reptiles with overlapping scales) that are neither sphenodonts (i.e., tuatara) nor snakes � they form an evolutionary grade.[2] While the snakes are recognized as falling phylogenetically within the Toxicofera clade from which they evolved, the sphenodonts are the sister group to the squamates, the larger monophyletic group, which includes both the lizards and the snakes.
Lizards typically have feet and external ears, while snakes lack both of these characteristics. However, because they are defined negatively as excluding snakes, lizards have no unique distinguishing characteristic as a group. Lizards and snakes share a movable quadrate bone, distinguishing them from the sphenodonts, which have more primitive and solid diapsid skulls. Many lizards can detach their tails to escape from predators, an act called autotomy, but this ability is not shared by all lizards. Vision, including color vision, is particularly well developed in most lizards, and most communicate with body language or bright colors on their bodies, as well as with pheromones.
The adult length of species within the suborder ranges from a few centimeters for chameleons such as Brookesia micra and geckos such as Sphaerodactylus ariasae to nearly 3 m (9.8 ft) in the case of the largest living varanid lizard, the Komodo dragon. Some extinct varanids reached great size. The extinct aquatic mosasaurs reached 17 m (56 ft), and the giant monitor Megalania is estimated to have reached perhaps 7 m (23 ft).
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Uploaded
February 16th, 2012
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Viewed 3,971 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 04/23/2024 at 5:56 AM
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Comments (107)
JOHN TELFER
Thank you Bukunolami for featuring my photo in the group, Daily Promotion, I appreciate the feature
Jordan Hill
Congratulations your photograph has been featured in the FAA Group ‘The Outdoor Photographer' You are invited to post your featured images in the Group's 'Thanks for the Feature / photo archive.
John Telfer replied:
Thank you Jordan for featuring my photo in the group, The Outdoor Photographer, I appreciate the feature
JOHN TELFER
Thank you Janis for featuring my photo in the group, Just Perfect, I appreciate the feature
JOHN TELFER
Thank you Bob for featuring my photo in the group, Your Very Best Photography, I appreciate the feature