Sunday, October 18, 2009

Where Are These Lizards?

Recently one of my sons asked me "Daddy, What lizards live in Virginia?" I was taken aback for a minute as I assumed there were salamanders, and felt there had to be skinks but I had never seen one in the 10 years I've lived here. I did not have the answer.

The internet has everything however. There are indeed six lizards native to Northern Virginia (with three more further south). Mostly skinks. This summer we will find a live specimen or know the reason why!

The snakes of Virginia are also interesting including one that apparently only lives in one county in the center of the State. I do not know why this is? Zoning laws? Only the copperhead is venemous in our neighborhood but I could have sworn cotton mouths were closer than a 100 miles from DC as the National Zoo exhibits say.

5 comments:

Dave S. said...

You forgot about Terry McAuliffe...

J. said...

Dave, you stole my thunder (lizard). I was going to type "Politicians don't count, right?"

Slightly O/T, is Geico to lizards what Walt Disney was to deer? (Though I believe lizards, or geckos, are far more useful/beneficial than deer.)

Hey, that lizard looks hungry. Want an apple?

Anonymous said...

I possibly, coincidentally, may have an answer to your "only in one part of Virginia" question. A woman called into a radio show the other day saying she was from "XYZ," Virginia, right where the glaciers stopped. As a result, she said, her little county had flora and fauna not found anywhere else. I leave to you Virginians where this town is located.

MLR

Dave S. said...

MLR,

Madame XYZ appears to be in error. A quick search on the Internet (Source of All Unbiased Truth) turned up several sites stating that the ice sheet did not extend into Virginia. Perhaps she should have remained a long-time listener rather than venturing into first-time-caller territory.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I realize that the Great Smoky Mountains are more Tennessee/NC than Virginia, but I did find this about them:
"Plants and animals common in the southern United States thrive in the lowlands of the Smokies, while species common in the northern states find suitable habitat at the higher elevations."