Today, I was able to capture a lizard in nature using my Canon 80D camera with a 75 - 300 mm lens.
In the photo, you can see the lizard's neck protruding from it's body. This body part is actually referred to as the dewlap. The lizard uses bones in the body to make it inflate like that.
Most likely this lizard is a male, because female lizards do not have that big of a dewlap. It is usually the same color of their skin as well. However, the male's is larger and can vary in size, depending on the type of lizard it is.
As you most likely can infer, there are really two reasons that a male lizard will inflate their dewlap. One is to attract a female and the other is to show dominance to other lizards. I wonder if it displayed it this afternoon to impress another female or it was showing me that it was in fact a stronger lizard than I am. Joke's on him, because, despite popular opinion, I am in fact not a lizard. Either way, still a pretty cool sight to see.
What a beautiful day to spend in nature.
One love,