These hefty lizards grow over 18" in length and 2 pounds in weight. Much of their activity comes in the Spring when plants are plentiful for them to feed on, and they store much of the energy they consume as fat in their tails, to survive the rest of the year.
They love lava flows like this because they can hide in the cracks in the rock. When threatened they will inflate their lungs to wedge themselves firmly into the crack, making themselves more difficult for predators to remove.
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2 lbs., eh? ...
Yes, in the Spring, and a lot of that weight goes into their fat tails.
Like marine iguanas, they bask in the sun to speed digestion and pack that weight on.
A very interesting capture and text, +Jeff Sullivan ! Warm thanks for sharing!
Very clever that lizard !!
Ljj Jun gvt
=^.^=
Nice,.,.,.,
Interesting...how an animal can work around its diffects, but most adults can work around there's...
+Jeff Sullivan nice capture n interesting info :)
Can't say that I've picked one up yet +Stewart Brebnor, but that's about how large they look, and besides, Wikipedia says so, so it must be true, right?