ENCOUNTER WITH A REPTILE - Oriental Garden Lizard

Wish you all a very happy new year - 2014!!!!
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The Oriental Garden Lizard, Eastern Garden Lizard or Changeable Lizard 

It is an insectivore and the male gets a bright red throat in the breeding season leading to a common incorrect name of "Bloodsucker".

The coloration is very variable, sometimes uniform brownish or greyish-olive or yellowish. Generally broad brown bands across the back, interrupted by a yellowish lateral band. Black streaks radiate from the eye, and some of them are continued over the throat, running obliquely backwards, belly frequently with greyish longitudinal stripes, one along the median line being the most distinct; young and half-grown specimens have a dark, black-edged band across the inter-orbital region.

The ground-colour is generally a light brownish olive, but the lizard can change it to bright red, to black, and to a mixture of both. This change is sometimes confined to the head, at other times diffused over the whole body and tail. A common state in which it may be seen seated on a hedge or bush, with the tail and limbs black, head and neck yellow picked out with red, and the rest of the body red.

Male Changes color during mating

Male Color Changed to Red and orange

Male in its general color

A very shy Female

Three layer protection for eyes

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