Northern Alligator Lizards near Princeton

A Northern Alligator Lizard I caught near Princeton, BC.

Yesterday, I wrote a blog that was a fictional story about a girl and her dog narrowly escaping an attack by a giant lizard.  I set up a scene using pinecones as a backdrop and placed the protagonists accordingly.  After getting my camera ready I released the antagonist of the story, the giant lizard, into the fray and quickly photographed the results.  The shot I used in my blog best represented what I thought to be the climax of the plot.

Capturing the lizard was an arduous undertaking that required hours of careful searching.  Most lizards are wary of leaving themselves exposed and tend to find cover, usually under debris such as wood and leaf litter, or in rocky crags.  I had been on many walks over the time I spent at the park we were in and was, as is my custom, to look for signs of life to photograph.  This often means overturning things that may hide some amazing find.  My policy is to put back whatever I expose because it is or will eventually be a micro-sanctuary for something.

The general trend is to turn over about 100 things before you make a find.  Rocks, logs, boards, any kind of litter - it all has a potential treasure lurking beneath it.  Occasionally, it is the first thing I look under, often though it takes many, many attempts before achieving success.  If you happen to be hunting for something specific it may take even longer.

Southern BC is home to a few lizard species, but the one I find most often is the Northern Alligator Lizard.  They may grow to 6 or 7 inches long, tail included, and are most commonly captured by looking under suitable substrate.  They tend to be nocturnal and come out at night to feed, their diet consisting of small invertebrates.  I have seen one or two basking in the sun.  All lizards are ectothermic in nature; they are cold blooded.  They seek out places where their they can keep their body temperatures warm enough to facilitate rapid movement and allow biological processes such as digestion to occur.

I turned over a long strip of bark and found it hiding underneath the far end.  Sometimes I lose them at this juncture as they scurry away under an immovable redoubt or down a crevice, never to be seen again.  This one wasn't that lucky though and it was easy to pick it up as it was attempting to scurry away.  I brought the lizard back to my RV where I placed it in large plastic cage I keep for such things, with plenty of material for it to hide under.

In the morning, while the temperature was still cool, I photographed it in my diorama.  The lizard was somewhat allayed and cooperated sufficiently.  Afterward, I took the minute beast and released it in a rocky area where it would be safe and secure.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen