Apparently, It's NOT A Piece Of Snake
UPDATE: THANKS TO MY KNOWLEDGEABLE READERS, THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED!
Warning, this post might be a tad gross for some! For others who are a bit like me and love to examine a piece of dead animal...well, this is right you your ally.
As I was doing some digiscoping around Merritt Island NWR, I glanced down at something interesting. At first glance, it almost resembled a huge talon. As I bent down for a closer look, I realized that it wasn't a claw or a talon, but a piece of snake...or so I thought!
It was a bit dried up. I do not know my reptiles and had no idea what this snake was. I originally blogged that this was a snake, but N8 (aka The Drinking Bird) noticed that this reptile piece had eyelids (insert dramatic music) which meant that it is not a snake at all. I did not know this, but snakes do not have eyelids (more dramatic music). I had made an id mistake (insert sad trombone).
A few more readers wrote in agreeing with N8 that this was a glass lizard and I had to go ye olde google and find out about it. After a rant on my part about scientists being nuts for doing things like this (ie calling a bird a red-bellied woodpecker when you barely can see the red) and now we have something that is cold blooded, doesn't have arms or legs, and slithers BUT it's not a snake, it's a lizard. Aaaargh!
So, here's the skinny on the glass lizard. It is not a snake because of they have movable eyelids, their head shape is not what it should be for a snake, they have ear openings on the outside, and some species so have little stunted legs near the vents.
Who knew? Not me, that's for sure!
But I can tell you that it was a meal for some creature. I wanted to get a feel for size and I picked it up for scale. Big mistake, it was rather stinky. But you could see the tiny teeth it had. You also could see a puncture wound. Was that from a talon of some raptor or a beak mark left behind by some harrier that tried to eat it. Many questions left behind, but at least did receive the answer on the id and learned about a new creature!
Thank you to all the readers who wrote in and clued me in. I really appreciate it!
On a side note, since we're talking gross here. I got a new animal for my road kill list. On Tuesday, I passed a dead wild boar on the highway into Titusville.
Warning, this post might be a tad gross for some! For others who are a bit like me and love to examine a piece of dead animal...well, this is right you your ally.
As I was doing some digiscoping around Merritt Island NWR, I glanced down at something interesting. At first glance, it almost resembled a huge talon. As I bent down for a closer look, I realized that it wasn't a claw or a talon, but a piece of snake...or so I thought!
It was a bit dried up. I do not know my reptiles and had no idea what this snake was. I originally blogged that this was a snake, but N8 (aka The Drinking Bird) noticed that this reptile piece had eyelids (insert dramatic music) which meant that it is not a snake at all. I did not know this, but snakes do not have eyelids (more dramatic music). I had made an id mistake (insert sad trombone).A few more readers wrote in agreeing with N8 that this was a glass lizard and I had to go ye olde google and find out about it. After a rant on my part about scientists being nuts for doing things like this (ie calling a bird a red-bellied woodpecker when you barely can see the red) and now we have something that is cold blooded, doesn't have arms or legs, and slithers BUT it's not a snake, it's a lizard. Aaaargh!
So, here's the skinny on the glass lizard. It is not a snake because of they have movable eyelids, their head shape is not what it should be for a snake, they have ear openings on the outside, and some species so have little stunted legs near the vents.
Who knew? Not me, that's for sure!
But I can tell you that it was a meal for some creature. I wanted to get a feel for size and I picked it up for scale. Big mistake, it was rather stinky. But you could see the tiny teeth it had. You also could see a puncture wound. Was that from a talon of some raptor or a beak mark left behind by some harrier that tried to eat it. Many questions left behind, but at least did receive the answer on the id and learned about a new creature!Thank you to all the readers who wrote in and clued me in. I really appreciate it!
On a side note, since we're talking gross here. I got a new animal for my road kill list. On Tuesday, I passed a dead wild boar on the highway into Titusville.
Labels: Florida, Merritt Island NWR, Space Coast Bird Festival
posted by birdchick at 12:38 PM
14 Comments:
It's got eyelids, so it's no snake.
Looks like an Eastern Glass Lizard.
I agree with N8, appears to be an Eastern Glass Lizard. According to my Peterson field guide, there are a few possibilities in florida: eastern, (eastern) slender, island, and mimic glass lizard.
I'll third N8's suggestion of Eastern Glass Lizard. cool critters
4th on glass lizard, eyelids.
First, let me say how much I love learning from my readers. Thank you, guys, for setting me strait, I'll update that blog post.
Second, what is wrong with scientists? It's bad enough that bird scientists did things to us like red-bellied woodpecker (barely any red) or Tennessee warbler (it's in other places besides Tennessee) or ring-necked duck (how do they see that ring)?
But now herp scientists call something that has no legs or arms and slithers a lizard and not a snake.
Scientists. You people are nuts.
Hmm...very interesting.
Nice to see another woman who is as fascinated by road kill as I am.
I love this blog- I just found it and must say- I have found "my people" LOL
here's my bird pics so far:
http://britabrookesphotgraphy.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/a-water-birds/
awesome blog u have!
I'm betting that the bird was confused as well; probably started eating it and said, "Wait a minute! This isn't a snake! It's got eyelids!" (regurgitates what it has already eaten) "Yuck! What was that?"
You are hardly the first to mistake a glass lizard and a snake.
Even better, they call them "glass" lizards because, like most lizards do, they drop their tails when faced with a predator, which apparently makes them look like they're made of glass and breaking into little pieces.
Cool stuff.
I've only had a two incidents of finding weird animal parts, but one was when I was sitting outside my workplace enjoying the sun and on my cell phone, when I saw a bird head. It was a totally chopped off birdhead. Weird. I then find out that it is because there are (oh let me get this right) peregrine falcons that are protected that lived on that building. The building is called the Colonade (in Minnesota) and think that Sharon used to show up and band the babies there. Had no idea they would decapitate other birds. Ewww!
Ok birdie chick...
thats pretty stankie...
but sooo interesting...you are one curious gal.
said a quick hello to you today at the birdie fest...but alas you were talking to someone...then i was talking to someone..
hope to say hello again!
by the way...
did you bring the cold?
Ah, yes, the glass lizard. Greatest natural predator is the lawn mower. I first learned of these odd fellows whilst mowing the lawn as a teenager. I hated that clunking, chopping sound, knowing that when I emptied the grass bag, I'd have to see a chopped-up glass lizard. Good post. No more gory than my "pelican killed by a fish hook" post a week or so back. Thanks for the Tweets on the Bird Fest. Wish I could've made it over there. Next year.
Cool post. I have only just read about the snake vs lizard eyelid ID feature and so this post was a fun illustration. Good shots.
you have a ROADKILL list? Cool idea.
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