Crocodile lurking in the water

This crocodile lurking in the Tempisque River shows why Palo Verde National Park is  a good place to go for wildlife viewing, as long as one keeps your arms and feet inside the boat.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Budapest, Hungary.

An iguana in the tree

Yesterday I showed a photo of a baby iguana in the bushes that it is easy to overlook.  Today I am showing that it is easy to overlook adult iguanas resting up in the trees.

Iguanas spend most of their time in trees.  That is fine with me.  They don't bother people, but it is better for them to have their own space up in the trees.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Great Synagogue of Budapest, Hungary.

Stare down with a baby iguana

Here's looking at you, kid.  This baby iguana kept a close eye on me as I walked on the short path from our Langosta condo to the beach.

It is easy to overlook the adorable creatures with whom we share habitat.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Great Synagogue of Budapest, Hungary.

Baby iguana at eye level

The photo I posted yesterday showed me bending over to take photos of a baby iguana.  Unlike the picture I posted several days ago looking down on the iguana, this is a photo from close to eye level.  That is a much better vantage point for taking pictures of animals, and it is worth the effort even for 60+ year old knees.

This week we have photos from Rabaul, Papua New Guinea posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Giant Green Iguana

You are probably thinking I am color blind because I have called this a green iguana, and it is orange, not green.

The reason is that when green iguanas are in mating season, they turn orange or rust color.  The coloration is especially strong in males, and particularly so in alpha males.  Iguanas will change their coloration months in advance of mating, and the color may linger for months.

We have new photos of the colonial architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Baby iguana

Yesterday I showed what I consider to be a rather unattractive brown iguana.  So today I am showing a baby iguana.

This is not a gecko, although some people mistake baby iguanas for geckos.  We have geckos, also, but they come out at night.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, Ireland.

Brown iguana

When I walked up to the old, abandoned cattle chute that I have showed the last two days I looked  down and next to my feet was this large, brown iguana.

I like the green iguanas better than the brown iguanas.   The green iguanas have attractive features and coloration.  The brown iguanas simply look like they are left over from the dinosaur age.

We have new photos of the architecture of Grenada, Nicaragua posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Iguana

Iguanas are common in the trees in and around Tamarindo.  They are harmless.  I like the green iguanas better than the brown iguanas.

This is a green iguana, of course.  In addition to their color, they have other distinctive features, such as the large scale on their jaw, the dewlap hanging from their chin, and the spikes sunning the length of their spine.


This week we are showing photos from Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Close up of brown iguana

I like green iguanas better than brown iguanas.  This photo, in comparison with yesterday's photo, shows why.

The scales on on brown iguanas make them look like their ancestors, the dinosaurs.

This week we are showing photos of Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  We returned about one week ago.  It was a wonderful mix of native cultures, South Pacific scenery, a total solar eclipse, a volcano erupting at night, and colorful coral reefs.

Green iguana

It has been awhile since I have posted an iguana photo.  This green iguana would be much better camouflaged in some green branches and leaves, rather than a thicket of branches.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  We returned about one week ago.  It was a wonderful mix of native cultures, South Pacific scenery, a total solar eclipse, a volcano erupting at night, and colorful coral reefs.

Baby iguana

The bushes around our condo are a habitat for little critters, such as this baby iguana who is resting on a branch.  It is easy to miss them as you walk past, although having a camera with me helps cause me to be more observant.

This is not a gecko. We see geckos at night.  Often a gecko will perch himself upside down from the ceiling of our patio.  Geckos come out at night and have little round pads for their toes that can grip so well that they can hang upside down on a flat surface.

You can tell that this is a baby iguana rather than a gecko because he has pointed claws, and he is out during the day.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Iguana

It has been a while since I posted a photo of an iguana.  I have not meant to neglect them.  It is easy to overlook them, as they are so common.  This green iguana seems to have lost his way.  He should be camouflaging himself in branches of green leaves, not these brown twigs.

We are showing photos of Egypt this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including some of the experiences that await tourists visiting the country might enjoy.  I hope that Egypt returns to stability soon so that tourism there will thrive and help the local economy.

Baby iguana

On the little path from the swimming pool gate of our condo to the beach we can often see little baby iguanas in the bushes. For some reason, I see baby iguanas here more often than adult ones. Maybe this is an area where the iguanas like to lay their eggs for some reason.

There are several easy ways to tell the difference between a baby iguana and a gecko. Iguanas have pointed toes and claws, whereas geckos have round pads on the tips of their toes. Geckos usually come out at night, where as iguanas are active during the day.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we have returned to Chicago to share more of the magnificent architecture of this city, plus a view of sunrise over Lake Michigan.

Turtles lounging in the sun

Tamarindo is famous for turtles, but the turtles in this photo are not the type of turtles for which Tamarindo is known.

Tamarindo Bay is the nesting site of the endangered Pacific leatherback tortoise. I have never seen one. My wife did a nighttime watch with a park ranger and saw lots of fire flies, but no tortoises came ashore to lay eggs.

I have seen sea turtles in the ocean at Tamarindo, as I have shown on this website in the past. Today's photo of a cluster of turtles was not taken out in the wild, although I have seen turtles like this in the wild. These turtles were sunning themslves in the water feature of the Garden Plaza shopping center in Tamarindo.

This week we have photos of the Villa Melzi in Belllagio, Italy on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Bellagio is one of our favorite places, and the gardens of the Villa Melzi are a delight to visit.

Iguana in a tree (6)

Here is a photo of an iguana up in a tree. You can seen him because he was on low branches where there were not many leaves. You can imagine, however, how he would blend into his surroundings on higher branches where there are lots of green leaves.

Yesterday, Jack of Hartford Daily Photo left a comment about whether the iguana that I showed during the last couple of days thinks he would be noticed if he stays very still. I therefore thought I would show this photo today. There are lots of times in Costa Rica when you do not notice that there are iguanas up in the trees above you.

Iguanas spend most of their time in trees. They are usually still. They can climb down into the rivers and streams and swim.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of London on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Green iguana profile

Here is a photo of the profile of a green iguana. I am showing this today to complement yesterday's photo of the straight on view of the iguanas face and chin.

Today's and yesterday's photo show the three most distinctive features of green iguanas (besides their color). Yesterday showed the dewlap hanging down from their chin. Today you can see the large round scale hear their jaw and the crest with long, sickle-shaped scales that run down their spine.

They often stay very still. They usually do not move very fast unless they are alarmed. My wildlife guide book says that the fastest that they move is when they bury the eggs a female has just laid. That makes sense. Exposed eggs would be vulnerable to lots of birds or other creatures.

We are showing photos of the architecture of London this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Iguana: "Not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin."

I like iguanas. They are colorful. They interact with you by watching you and allowing themselves to be watched. They are usually still enough to allow you to get a good look (or a good photo).

This is a green iguana. You can see his dewlap hanging down over his neck, which is characteristic of green iguanas. He seems to be stretching his neck to display itl

We have photos of the architecture of London on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Adult Jesus Christ Lizard

For Christmas Day, here is an adult Jesus Christ Lizard. The are so named because the young lizards are so light and so fast that they can actually run across the surface of the the water. I once saw a Jesus Christ lizard walk on the water on Christmas Day, but it moved too fast to photograph.

When they run across the water they do so upright on their hind legs, which adds to comparison of Christ walking on water. How do the do so? They move their legs so fast that the resistance of their feet hitting the surface of the water pushes them up and forward and their next step pumps up so quickly that they generate greater upward force on the surface of the water than the force of gravity downward.

This lizard was lounging in a tree. Adults get up to 1 meter (3.3 ft.) long, including the tail.

The official name for this species, is basilik, and in Spanish they have two common names -- lagartija Jesucristo and chisbala, which means flying bullet. Jesus Christ lizard and flying bullet seem to be somewhat incompatible nicknames for the same thing.

I think this is a male Jesus Christ lizard because the characteristic long, continuous crest running down the head, back and tail is very prominent in this lizard, whereas female and young of the species have smaller crests.

This week we are showing photos of Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Green Iguana

On the same wildlife boat trip in Palo Verde National Park that encountered the monkeys and bird that I showed during the last few days, we also saw many iguanas, of course. The green iguana in this photo seemed to be posing for us.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti in Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Iguana "convention"

Here is a photo of 6 iguanas in one picture frame. This is very unusual. It is common to see one, maybe two iguanas, but this is the only time I have seen such a large grouping of iguanas together.

In this photo you can see that iguanas have claws. That is one of the features that differentiates iguanas from geckos. Geckos have little round pads at the end of their toes. Geckos usually come out at night, whereas iguanas come out during the day.

I took this photo in Palo Verde National Park. In December, the male iguanas will turn orange to attract a mate.

This week we are showing some photos of the architectural details of London on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.