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Shy Guy


Shy Guy
Photo Information
Copyright: Scott Evers (scottevers7) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2634 W: 3 N: 3942] (12257)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-07-21
Categories: Reptiles
Camera: Canon 20D, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM, B+W UV MRC
Exposure: f/22, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-08-05 23:05
Viewed: 1998
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
While I was taking a break from snorkling at Paradise Cove Beach, I found this little guy climbing up the side of a palm tree near the beach. He did not want me to take his picture, and we went around the palm tree several times before I could get a good shot. This young one was about 5-6 inches in length.

The Northern Curly-tailed Lizard

Leiocephalus carinatus armouri, measures from 8 1/2 to 10 inches in length as an adult, about half of which is tail. These lizards are the only representatives of the tropidurine lizards in the United States. They resemble the swifts, spiny lizards or fence lizards (genus Sceloporus) that can be found in one species or another throughout much of North America.

Origin and Life Span

The northern curly-tailed lizard is a Bahamian native. Those available in the American pet trade are collected from the populations on Florida's southeastern coast. There are no commercial captive breeding programs. In captivity, they can live upwards of 10 years.

Appearance

The northern curly-tailed lizard has a stout build with rough but not spiny scales, except the vertebral row (raised into a low crest), and is gray to brown in color. Its back is dark, its sides are somewhat lighter and its belly is almost white. Dark spots usually dot its back. Its lips are pale and there is at least an indication of a light stripe along each side of the back. The throat is light. The tail is dark banded. There are no established color variations.

Behavior

This reptile’s common name is derived from the lizard's habit of curling the tip of its tail upwards when it comes to a stop.

This lizard is alert, and can be fast on its feet if it feels threatened. It moves in short bursts of speed, usually curling its tail upwards after each burst. Although it can climb, the curly-tail is more at home on the ground. Many of these reptiles can be found near construction rubble or rocky seashores. They can be spied on seawalls, curbs or decorative piles of limestone boulders. They bask in the sunlight for long periods, moving into the shadows when approaching their optimum body temperature.
dew77, deud, TAZ, Comandante, chiliu, marhowie, CTP, LCannon, PDP, red45, Luc, annagrace has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To marhowie: Shy Guyscottevers7 1 08-06 09:35
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Critiques [Translate]

Nice colours and detail here, a really nice tropical feel to this with the coconut palm and the blue sky.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-08-06 4:22]

Hello Scott!
Perfect capture.DOF you managed,sharpness,colors,POV and composition are wonderful.TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 500 W: 2 N: 466] (2121)
  • [2005-08-06 4:34]

ilike the composition. very good focus on subject. well done.

Hello Scott!
Wonderful shot.Details on tree and lizard are perfect.POV,DOF and composition are very nice.thanks for sharing.

Hi Scott,
I like the composition, give us a natural feeling. Very good colour and details.
TFS!
Chi

Hello Scott, Very good focus, details, light and true colors..I like this POV and the pose of the lizard looking back/down for ya..I see you're testing the IS down to 1/60th, it does a great job hey! Well done my friend!!

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2005-08-06 12:29]

Scott, I do like the shot.

Although he didn't want you to take the picture, it's as if he were really striking a pose for you.

Great pov and composition. I like the sky and the leaves on the bg.

Scott,
When I look at this photo I first notice the lines. The tree has horizontal lines, the lizard has vertical lines and the palm tree has diagonal lines. All of which guide my eye to the subject. interesting view. The composition is superb. The colors are vivid and the lizards scales are very visable. Good job capturing the texture of the tree.
Very nice work!
Scott

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 774 W: 6 N: 1107] (3183)
  • [2005-08-06 15:03]

Great capture of this little fellow here Scott.
Nice focus,sharpness,pov and dof.
I tried similar scene with a woodpecker in Naples,FL but it was OOF unlike yours.TFS
CT

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2385 W: 50 N: 3184] (10918)
  • [2005-08-07 4:24]

What a superb lizard that you have well captured ! I like the composition with leaves out of focus ! Thanks for sharing Scott.

He is a cutie... nice shot!

I really love this compostition Scott, The way the lizard has it's head turned looking down at you, the textures off the tree lines going horizotal, while the lizard's stripes go vertically and then you have the palm fronds in the background that add yet another direction, which all could seem too busy but work well together. I really like this one! It was worth making yourself dizzy circling the tree.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11755)
  • [2005-08-08 2:34]

Hi Scott, nice shot. The lizard looks great on the palm trunk and I like his pose. He looks like he has lost his tail at some point. I think if you cropped off some of the LHS and top (to put the lizard's head in the frame at around 1/3 from the top and 1/3 from the left) and a used shadows and highlights you could make this great image much better.

Well done.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2830 W: 75 N: 8024] (26861)
  • [2005-08-08 3:46]

Really shy and with glue under its feet ;-) I like its pose, POV and composition with blue sky and palm leaves in BG. Good work Scott!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 315 N: 4404] (14713)
  • [2005-08-11 7:49]

Sorry Scott, I have no time to write a decent comment. I give to you the well deserved smily.
Day thought: Who is God, otherwise an eternal Child playing an eternal Game in an eternal Garden. (Sri Aurobindo)
Thank you for sharing pictures and notes and for the enjoyment which they give to me.

Great capture and a lot of hard work! Why is it called the curly tailed lizard if the tail is straight?? LOL!!

Thanks for sharing!

Alli

Hello Scott,
When I first looked a t the reptile I thought: oh nothing special, I cught hundreds of them when I was a little boy and some lost their tale.
But when I look at the entire picture I must admid that your compo adn teh fine details of the tree the reptile is siiting on are perfect. TFS. Thomas

Scott,
Nice composition.
Well done!
TFS
Annick

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