Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi again,

sorry if you guys think I'm spamming, but I'm sorta excited about sharing more than just my herping stories with ya'll. This is a Desert Iguana from Amboy Crater, right off of route 66. It was pretty bold, allowed me to get within three feet of it until it decided it was tired of my ugly mug....I was able to shoot three pics of him, but this was the best.
Enjoy!

-Phil

Desert Iguana, September 2004

Chucks are difficult to shoot unless you catch and pose them. They hace a pretty long flight distance and do not have much patience with us. Although the locale on the chuck should be a Mojave speckled it does not look like one. That looks like a redback but the colors are a vit washed in the bright sun. MS's usually have a lot more black with just faint red speckling on the back usually toward the middle. Great shots Phil.

very nice shot indeed, hes looks ot be a healty fellow! Love your pics as much as the stories, hehehehe
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Eve / PHEve

Hey,

Its interesting to note the Red on his back. He was different than the other Chucks I saw on that walk. The others were a more uniform black with reddish, brown and white flecking on their backs. I intially thought this was a female, but the females from this hillside are brown with strong banding on their tails. Perhaps we're looking at a variation. I wonder if that happens often. huh. I would've gotten more shots, but I went kinda shutter happy on the Side-Blotched lizards that day. Every rock had a Side-Blotch on it. It was wild, so I tried to get some of the prettier ones. Kinda wish I hadn't, but by the time I saw the first Chuck I was on pic 18.....better luck in spring.

The Iggs are really hard to sex when not in the hand, (even if they are for that matter) so I don't really know for sure. I think that one was a female, but haven't any vent pics for sure. This one I believe is a male. Same place, a little further up the road. Enjoy!

Phil

Desert Iguana, hot, Amboy Crater CA

even from a distance. The pic you have has an excellent angle. Use binoculars and look at the base of the tale. Usually in the males the hemipenal bulges are huge and noticeable even at a distance. This could be only in the breeding season though since everytime I have been out there it has been in May. I would say that both pics are females. AGain thanks for the nice pics-What about those sideblotched pics? those are awesome lizards too! Tom

Shes a DOOSY ! Nice an PLUMP
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Eve / PHEve

Great looking DI. Very healthy looking! Looks like he has been eating well! He looks like a lighter variety simular to the one I had years ago from the Mohave desert!
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