CANADA
CALIFORNIA
U.S.A.
I once thought that my Alligator Lizard confrontation was the most harrowing thing to happen but no so, my friends. My housekeeper came to work this morning with her camera-phone. “Guess what was in my front yard yesterday?” she said. “An iguana.” Of course I assumed she meant a lizard that LOOKED like an iguana, after all my lizard looked like a rattlesnake to me. Then she produced evidence (I couldn’t take the photo off her phone) but this was definitely an iguana – a big one. The neighbor told her he saw one in her palm tree the day before but then he drinks a lot, so she wasn’t sure. Then yesterday she was gardening and “HELLO!” There it was. She said she almost fell over. “Corri y grite,” she said. She ran and screamed. Anyway, her cousin came over and took it away. Her iguana trumps my lizard for sure. What’s next? A bear? Oh right, there are bears going into local trash cans. Coyotes? Been there. Bobcat? Done that. Mountain lion? Just down the street. Yes, Beverly Hills is paradise.
It wasn’t a rattlesnake, it’s an Alligator Lizard. Thanks to Rhonda who did some research, I now know what’s lurking in my back yard. This one is almost exactly the same. At least the next time I see one, I won’t be needing a ride to the hospital. Here’s what it said about them…
Alligator Lizards – Large smooth scales, and a long alligator-like snout. Found almost anywhere except in the deserts, mosty during daylight. Frequently found underneath debris. Commonly found in suburban yards, especially in Southern California.
This was freaky. This morning I walked around to the bottom of the big hill behind my house, you know the one with the deer, coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes, etc…? I was checking one of the plants, looked down and saw this thing…OMG! A rattle snake! Right between my feet! So I slowly backed away, he flicked his tongue a couple of times, and I decided that was as close to death as I ever wanted to be. But escaping with my life apparently was not enough. I had to put on some high boots, get my camera, and go back to get a picture to see if it really was a rattlesnake. Now I don’t know what it is. I think it has feet! It was about 18 inches long. A lizard? A mutant snake? Why am I even living here?