Monday, May 12, 2014,

And now for something completely different. Kudos to any of you Monty Python fans that actually understand that reference. As for the rest of you, it’s okay. We can still be friends. On that note, I invite everyone to click on these individual pics. In many cases here at Joe Kayaker clicking on a pic brings up a  larger (and hopefully) better shot for you to observe and enjoy. These two pics are prime examples of exactly that. This is one good looking lizard and you should see him in all his glory.

This handsome beast is a Veiled Chameleon. These guys hail from Yemen, which is just below Saudi Arabia. (I had to look that up). This is obviously a personal failing but whenever I think of the Middle East, my brain conjures up desert sands and oil. However, Yemen’s borders include just about as much waterline as it does dry land. Not to mention some mondo good looking reptiles.    

I came across this guy at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, NY. He’s a pet that was ‘donated’ to Sweetbriar after its former owner decided he was more trouble than was expected. This happens all too often in the pet trade. Folks see a sexy, exotic animal and start thinking how cool it might be to have that particular piece of eye candy around. Thoughts concerning the care and requirements of said animal are often secondary. And so it goes. Word is that this particular lizard, as handsome as he is, has a very nasty disposition. That may be why he was discarded. I mean donated. At any rate, he makes for another wonderful critter to see at Sweetbriar. Go check him out if you’re in town. JK