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Not a great photo, but interesting to me.

I was hiking around Castlewood State Park (just west of St. Louis, MO) and noticed this guy sitting on a stick just a couple feet away. He looked a little thin around the hind legs, and as I moved in closer he also seemed a little "flat".

The photo shows what might be the problem:

I definitely see one tick in the ear opening, and possibly another in the fold above the right front leg. A little more depth-of-field would help.

I took about 15 shots, moving closer with each photo. I finally violated his personal space and he bolted into the weeds.

Nice picture. I find in my observations that for example most if not all of the fence lizards in my direct area have mites and ticks while I can drive 15 miles to the south to another lake area and have to this day never observed a lizards with mites or ticks there. You are right also that lizard in the photo dose look a little thin around the edges but such is life for a wild lizard. Some are fat, some are skinny.
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