Iguana with open mouth

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This lizard  in the Negev Zoo near Beer Sheva is an Iguana iguana or Green iguana, native to South America.
Enlarge the photos a few times to see his amazing textures.
He has impressive spines and dewlap.

Suddenly he opened his mouth wide.
Wonder what he was saying to the female.
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(Linking to today's Camera Critters.)
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Israeli salad for a blue-tongue

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Even though its bustle and size make me dizzy, I stepped into Malcha Mall.
The pet shop is the one store there that I cannot NOT go into.
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The picture taped to this skink's enclosure makes me believe it is what Australians call a blue-tongue.
I, for one, would not want to keep a 60-centimeter reptile in a glass case for its 20-year life expectancy.
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Well, at least this guy had a nice bowl of "Israeli salad."
We humans eat it for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.
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Shalom to friends at Camera-Critters meme.
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Upside down sleepyhead

As I closed my friends' shutters against the invading rain, I discovered two of these animals.

One scampered away immediately, but this one just continued sleeping.

Its "eyelids" stayed closed.

Enlarge the photo and see the vertical line where the eyelids meet.

You can even see the ear opening and the bumpy skin!

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When I released the second of the antique little "Menschelach" and moved the other shutter, which gave a rusty screech, only then did the lizard come to life and run away.

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For Camera-Critters, this is.
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Fresh chameleon for lunch

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If you're not squeamish please enlarge some of these photos of the hunt.

The chameleon would have remained well-hidden if he had stayed still. His fatal error was to run when Lara and I started down the old stone stairs. Lara saw him move. .

 

You could almost hear his silent scream as Lara's claws pierced him.

 

Belly up.

 

The tail hung from the cat's mouth as she did what born-in-the-wild hunter carnivores do.

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As I heard the crunching sounds, a little wave of doubt or even shame passed over me.

Maybe I should have helped the chameleon escape before Lara's first pounce . . . .

instead of my first reaction being "Run for the camera, Dina! For the blog, for Camera-Critters!"

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Losing his grip

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Surprise surprise! I turned on the light and found this little guy trying in vain to climb out of my bathroom sink.

After taking a video of his brave and energetic but futile efforts, I gave him a boost up and out.
He ran behind the washing machine. Fine with me.
He is welcome to stay.
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The fly swatter made a pretty pattern for Shadow Shot Sunday and my little animal friend is good for Camera-Critters.
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To see a big green perfectly camouflaged outdoor-type chameleon, click here.
And one which lost half its tail is here. And another whatever-they-are-called on my ceiling.
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UPDATE! Wikipedia has a whole very interesting article about the Mediterranean house gecko or more commonly Turkish Gecko as it is represented in its Latin name Hemidactylus turcicus.
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UPDATE 2016:  National Geographic's explanation on the gecko's difficulty in the sink.
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Soaking up the rays

Best when enlarged

Absorbing the warmth of the sun through a stained glass window.
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Robin, a fellow Israeli blogger, visited a church in Abu Ghosh and found more of the same.
What IS it about these little critters and church windows??
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Greetings to Camera-Critters Sunday friends.

An erstwhile bug-eating buddy

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Here is my erstwhile little buddy on the wall, near the ceiling.
He (or she) is quiet and eats mosquitoes.
In short, a good housemate.
The little one comes and goes; now you see it, now you don't.

But one day, I, barefoot, picked up something from the bathroom floor and was startled to see the creature there instead of safely on the ceiling. Eek! I reacted by scooping him up and setting him outside on the front stair.
Now I kind of regret my harsh action . . .
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For other animal tales and photos please visit the bloggers at Camera-Critters today.
UPDATE: My post on a visiting lizard who lost half a tail is here.
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Tail-bearing

. . Please click and enlarge this photo.

This little guy stayed a long time, enjoying my cool moist towel on a hot day.
Please, do you know, will his poor tail be regenerated?

Many more animal pictures from many more bloggers at Camera-Critter Sunday.

Chameleon hide-and-seek

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This photo really needs to be clicked on to see full size.

Slowly slowly the chameleon inches his way upward.

Other folks are posting their animals at Camera-Critter Sunday. Have a look.