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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Hello all TN members!
Today interesting photograph of Anguis fragilis- called the slow worm in english. This little guy was sitting on the forest road near Mragowo, Poland. I couldn't let it stay there because I've seen few already killed by cars and bikes that day. I slowly walked closer to take some shots and then I carefully carried him away of the road to the nearby sunny meadow. Roads are perfect place to get warm before the night but it's also a deadly trap for many lizards and snakes.
The sun already went behind the trees so lighting conditions wasn't perfect, it was quite hard to take some sharp, detailed shots- but this one is pretty good I think.
Some species information:
Anguis fragilis (the slow worm, slow-worm, slowworm, blindworm or blind worm) is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia.
Slow-worms are semifossorial lizards spending much of the time burrowing through the soil. The skin of the varieties of slow-worm is smooth with scales that do not overlap one another. Like many other lizards, slow-worms autotomize, meaning that they have the ability to shed their tails in order to escape predators. The tail regrows, but seldom to its former length.
These reptiles are active during the day (diurnal) and occasionally bask in the sun, but are more often found hiding beneath rocks and logs. They are carnivorous and, because they feed on slugs and worms, they can often be found in long grass and other damp environments.
The females give birth to live young (viviparous birth). In the days leading up to birth the female can often be seen basking in the sun on a warm road.
They are common in gardens and can be encouraged to enter and help remove pest insects by placing black plastic or a piece of tin on the ground. On warm days one or more slow worms will often be found underneath these collectors of heat. One of the biggest causes of mortality in slow worms in suburban areas is the domestic cat, from which it has no defence.
Although these lizards are often mistaken for snakes, there are a number of features that differentiate them from snakes. The most important is they have small eyes with eyelids that blink like lizards. This is a feature that is not found in snakes. They also have visible ears like lizards do, which snakes do not have. They also have a notched tongue rather than the forked tongue of a snake. They shed their skin in patches like other lizards, rather than the whole skin as most snakes do. Also, the pattern of their ventral scales is totally different from that of snakes.
Adult slow-worms grow to be about 50 cm long and are known for their exceptionally long life; it has been said that a slow-worm is the longest living lizard, living about thirty years in the wild and up to fifty-four years in captivity (this record is held by a male slow worm that lived at the Copenhagen Zoo from 1892 to 1946). The female often has a stripe along the spine and dark sides while the male may have blue spots. Juveniles of both sexes are gold with a dark brown belly and sides with a dark stripe along the spine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-worm)
At the end I would like to add that all reptiles in Poland are protected, not many of them we have, not many of them left...
Thank You for any criticques and comments.
cheers! |
anel, loot, eng55, boreocypriensis, gannu, jaycee, Hormon_Manyer has marked this note useful
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- anel
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1079 W: 0 N: 1654]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(7208) - [2008-05-21 5:27]
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hello Adrian,
This is an excellent picture going with an excellent note! The shape formed by this slow worm is very photogenic. Very harmonious colours too.
Thanks
Anne
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- eng55
(1095)
- [2008-05-21 8:45]
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Hi Adrian,
Excellent post.Well seen and composed.Details,framing and exposure are also perfect.
Thanks for posting.
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- loot
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5633 W: 594 N: 3202]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(8699) - [2008-05-21 12:23]
- [2]
Hi Adrian
What a wonderful creature. You captured it well and it is amazing to see the shiny qualities of its golden-brown scales. Good details and great colour definition. The overhead image gave us a great view of this reptile and your notes are very descriptive and helpful. It is such a pity that these creatures utilise the road to soak up some of the latent heat radiation, but the tragedy is that motorist aren't paying attention for such critters and just ride right over them. Road kill statistics are not something for the fainthearted.
As a matter of interest, my last posting was one of a Giant legless skink and to a degree it is very similar to this beautiful Slow-worm.
Well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot
Hi Adrian,
Superb macro capture of this limbless lzard with nice DOF, POV and framing. Also your note is excellent. As a herpetologist I could add a bit information on its anatomy: unlike snakes, its body is rather stif because of the bony plates underlying the scales, so its movements are slow :), i.e. their name of "slow worm" stemning from this feature. TFS and cheers,
Bayram
A fine close up of a beautiful slow-worm specimen Adrian, not one of the easily photographed species, due to its glossy scales my friend, a nice work indeed!
Mehmet
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- gannu
(8608)
- [2008-05-27 5:29]
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Hello Adrian,Nice shot and excellent note. Well composed and great focus. Well done and TFS Ganesh
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- jaycee
(13255)
- [2008-05-27 11:48]
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Hi Adrian,
The 21st was a travel day for me and I missed this one! Spectacular macro of this worm. The details of his face and skin are marvelous. Beautiful color and position. The road is a perfect background.
Jane
Hi Adrian, splendid capture of a very strange lizard, like a snake, great details and wonderful sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio
Hi Adrian,
Minimalistic yet very effective composition - the lizard and nothing else. I like this type of photos very much - honestly speaking I like all the good photographs. :) Great sharpness and colors, superb shot. Bravo.
Congrats, tfs, regards, Wladyslaw :)
hi!
interesting snake like, lizard...
interesting that its tail is not getting thiner towards the end...this characterestic is the same in a boa snake of Greece i think
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 649 W: 23 N: 742]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(2386)