Broad-tailed girdled lizard, Ankarafantsika, Madagascar

Found in the dry forest of Ankarafantsika. I love dry forests. Not only do they offer good visibility, the cracking of dry leafs under your foot steps brings motions to critters nearby that you otherwise would not detect, such as this one. The only thing to manage is your heart beat, which spikes each time. Closeup:

comments (10)

John Sullivan

Lion

This western beauty is actually Zonosaurus laticaudatus, based in part on the coloration and in part on the ranges of the two species as shown in Glaw & Vences. Posted 9 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! I actually was in doubt whether to ask you about this one as well, but ultimately went for a superficial visual match with the common species. In hindsight an error. One that makes me happy, as this is a species intro :)
  
  And via Google I see your site scores very well in describing it, really a goldmine of reptile info. Posted 9 years ago

Mark Ridgway

Lion

Looks like a perfect sunny spot for a forest lizard.
Ha ha about the heartbeat... I guess many nature photographers understand that well.
What about breath control ? :) Posted 9 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Breath control is a huge issue for me when I do macro photography. I hold my breath when framing, focusing and exposing which sometimes takes many attempts. It's something I cannot unlearn and it leaves me exhausted if there's lots to shoot in a row :) Posted 9 years ago

Vodkaman

Lion

The ID is good, but it looks so like the sun skink that I find here in Indonesia.

Dave Posted 9 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks, Dave. Care to share that skink photo? Posted 9 years ago
2. 1. Vodkaman
    
    Lion
    
    Here it is:
    
    Dave Posted 9 years ago
  2. 1. Ferdy Christant
      
      Lion
      
      I can see the resemblance somewhat in shape (despite yours being bulkier). Colors are very different though. Posted 9 years ago

Barry

Lion

So you were in Ankarafantsika NP as well? Interesting, I had the feeling that it is seldom visited, unlike the more famous ones like Andasibe, Ranomafana, or Ifaty. I thought it was great, and as you say in your article about Madagascar, the people around there could certainly use the support. Posted 8 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Yes, we visited Madagascar twice. Once in 2012 doing what many call the "standard" tour in the east and south, and then in 2016 we visited the north. Out of our 2nd tour, I found Ankarafantsika one of the highlights. Very open forest, great for photography. We spent like 4 days there, and I still didn't want to leave :) Posted 8 years ago