I was out mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes where I often notice a large amount of Texas Spiny Lizards. So, after I was done, I setup my camera out in the driveway with my Sigma 150-600mm lens and tried to capture some of these very nice lizards. Sure enough, I got a subject within a few seconds of setting up. It was as though he was posing for me. He majestically laid on a limestone border and struck at least a dozen poses. This one was one of my favorites. I could not get too close to him or he would go hide so this image is actually cropped down to about 20%.
The Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) is native to the south central United States and northeastern Mexico. They are 7-11 inches in length, and are typically grey in color with black, white, or red-brown markings down the back. Their scales have a distinctly spiny texture to them. They have long toes, and sharp claws suited to climbing. Their preferred habitat is mesquite trees, over areas with a significant amount of ground leaf litter, but they are often found in suburban areas basking on fences or climbing telephone poles. The male lizard also has a peculiar habit when challenged by another male for its territory. The two males will have a push up contest, or so it seems. Both males will begin doing push ups until one of them gives up and runs away. I think the one I photographed is a female.
This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III using my Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 Sports Lens set on 600 mm. The camera was set on Aperture Priority mode with the aperture set at f/6.3, shutter speed at 1/500th of a second with the ISO set at 100. All processing was done in Lightroom.
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© 2015 T. Kahler Photography