Eastern Fence Lizards Mating: UP CLOSE

Saw this lizard couple today. She is very camo'd like tree bark, but he is much less so. He is brown with bright blue on his chest, as he shows off by doing pushups for her. I saw her first and thought she looked plump, and full of eggs. Then he showed up, and chased her, but she wasn't (really) trying to get away.

These are our only Spiny Lizards here in the Eastern Piedmont. They are big compared to our Skinks, and I really enjoy watching them. At first the mating looks violent, by the way he is biting her neck, but notice the loose flaps of skin. That is what they are for. He has to hold on somehow. It can't be easy hanging on to the tree, and her. After watching for a while, I thought they looked sweet. He was hugging, and squeezing her gently.

You'll hear me say, "Oh dear," right at a crucial moment. My shoulders were worn out. I had just stopped painting overhead, and I was tired. I was, also, so captivated, that I forgot to keep them in the viewfinder window, LOL.

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TRIVIA: Males have testicles, and a penis. (I looked it up.)

This is a huge evolutionary leap from frogs, that have external fertilization, to lizards having internal fertilization. This adds quite another level of mating complexity.

Later, Take Care!